I wish I could retain
By some Herculean feat,
As much of what I read
As I do of what I eat.
—Anonymous
Robert Henru’s recent post reminded me of the above lines. Robert wrote how he temporarily got discouraged about blogging because all the great advice he’s been reading and writing about didn’t help when it came to dealing with real-life problems. What a great lesson to learn. Reading isn’t enough…even the best suggestions have to be assimilated into your life before they’re going to be much use.
Do you believe the boy in the picture could really learn to ride his bicycle by just reading and talking about how to ride a bike? Skill development takes time and patience. And we may need to start with small steps and find our equivalent of training wheels. We also can’t afford to beat ourselves up if we don’t master the skill immediately. The most important part of the process is making a commitment to learn, no matter how long it takes. When we’re resolved to do that, we’re open to information that will help. And we’ll take the time to integrate that information by practicing, practicing, practicing.
As I mentioned in One Size Doesn’t Fit All, what works for me, whatever I happen to be learning, is to forget about future goals and instead get curious and enjoy the process of mastering a new skill. I find that approach to be powerful because I don’t have to push myself to learn and practice…instead I’m so engrossed it’s hard to tear myself away. That works for me but your motivational strategy might be different. Please share it in the comments section.
Curiosity helps us get started and stay motivated. Practice makes perfect, reading does give the theoretical knowledge but we have to implement it too.
If possible I also use trial and error, like when I am learning more about CSS then I can see what happens when I change things.
Bengts last blog post..Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn
I’ve been reading Robert Henru’s blogs (mentioned here) reason4smile for many months. He’s Chinese & was struggling with English grammar. He’s pretty much mastered it now! Practice makes perfect.
Thanks Jean for such an inspirational article. I’m honored for your mention in this blog.
Bikehikebabe, thanks for the comment, and thanks for all the inputs on my grammar all this time.
Robert
Bengt,
Trial and error—yes! that’s why I love playing with computers, we can play around and see what happens.
bikehikebabe,
Thanks for the input. Again, welcome back.
Robert,
I’m glad you liked the post…thanks for giving me the idea. I love blogging because of the interaction with other people. I spend as much time commenting on other people’s blogs as I do writing my own posts. It’s great when we can get some dialog going.
You’re right! Thanks for the questions you raise, especially on the authentic life. That got me thinking whether I have applied or at least start applying what I write.
Robert
Robert A. Henrus last blog post..Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver
Very true. It takes a lot more. I would say that persistence/willpower also plays a part.
Shamelle
Shamelles last blog post..Career: 62 Tips To Make Your Job Terrific (Lessons Learned)
Shamelle,
For me commitment includes persistence, determination and patience. So we agree.