Advice for learning a new skill

Danny Forest

Danny Forest

1 min read

Learning a new skill is never as hard as it seems with the mindset that you CAN do it. In October 2017, I decided to learn 3 new skills to prove myself that I could do it. I started with a skill I never thought I could do: drawing. As a software engineer, creative activities don't come "naturally" to me. The first few days led nowhere, as expected. But I persevered throughout the month. By the end, I was amazed by what I accomplished. At that moment, I shattered my belief that there are things I couldn't do.

Due to the phenomenal results I got, I have continued that approach since, learning 3 new skills every month. 66 skills later, I can say that it's possible, but not always easy. In fact, it's never easy.

There are skills, like learning to play the Ukulele, that was more difficult than I expected. It's one of the skills where, like Salsa Dancing, I had to change my learning approach. Ultimately, I have not succeeded in playing the songs I wanted to play in the practice time that I had. For the most part, the problem was that I didn't truly believe I could do it. I gave up earlier than with most other skills.