Isn’t it funny how something that seemed hard in the beginning is really easy once you know how?!
I watched myself wading through yet another set of software instructions with the feeling it was a big mountain to climb. I wondered why I do that. Why I sometimes really have to gear myself up to tackle a new program. Yet I love to learn—ideas—not steps.
Where does our resistance to learn something new come from? Is it lack of self-confidence in our ability? Is it fear of failure? Is it an unwillingness to make the effort. There is a natural, innate resistance to change that we need to overcome as we approach any and every new possibility.
What tricks can we play on ourselves to help us keep moving forward? Is it the reward of knowing how to do something new? Is it the variety of things we’ll be able to do and create once we learn it? What carrot can we dangle in front of us to help us move forward?
I find that taking small steps and then creating something small from the knowledge spurs me on.
For instance, learning to edit sound in Sound Forge seemed enormous to me. I recorded a series of visioning experiences and was so proud when I edited a small glitch out of the first three-minute introduction. Yeah me.
Recently I recorded my first podcast—again only three plus minutes. I easily edited it and quickly and easily added music to it. Then I posted it to the internet and viola! I’m a podcaster!
When something seems hard, take one step at a time. Learn a new step, use it so you “own” it, and then learn to make another new step. Isn’t that the way we learn as children—one step at a time?!
As Leonardo da Vinci said, “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
Go happen to things! Be willing to attempt new things. Don’t be afraid something will be too hard for you to learn. Figure it out one piece at a time and put yourself back on track with each step you take. You’ll soon find yourself an expert instead of a beginner.
PS. You can hear my first podcast at www.thesuccessmagnetspodcast.com
