Life Transition: Learning a New Skill

Starting with unconscious incompetence, in learning a new skill we progress to conscious incompetence as we begin to practice a skill we have decided to learn. Then we move on to conscious competence as we master the skill - this is where discipline is required. And finally we arrive at unconscious competence when we need to give the skill very little attention at all, such as when we drive a car. Without that discipline we do not gain the desired ability. Discipline requires motivation, which itself requires envisioning clearly the outcome you desire and keeping that regularly in mind.

We learn better from putting principles into practice, with all the inevitable mistakes, than from any amount of theory on its own. Education works alongside practical training to develop skills. An Arabic proverb: "Ask the experienced rather than the learned."

A crystal clear vision inspires and energizes the path of least resistance to your goal. Your current abilities and having are irrelevant to you being able to start creating; that's where you're going and you now - with that empowering vision - have the energy to work through any barriers, and acquire any necessary skills and resources along the way.

Alexander goes on to say, "The path to happiness at work starts with a simple decision: You must want to be happy. If you don't commit to being happy at work, you won't be. You won't make the choices that make you happy. You won't take the actions needed to get there. You won't change the things that need to change. Happiness at work is about building your skills and your energy to fix the problems, and to create more and more positive experiences."

We are not so much limited by our abilities as by our vision. If we can see something worth achieving that aligns withs our capabilities, then we can go for it. That may well involve heightening our ability - through education, practice and obtaining assistance - to the level our goal demands.

To turn our lives around, we need to build up our capabilities, to increase our knowledge and gain skills. If our goal is clear and worthwhile, to transform our lives, this self-directed education is just part of the fun.

Did you follow through on your last idea? If not, do you know what got in your way? Making any kind of a change in life, even something as small as taking a class, requires us to learn and try new things. That is the very nature of change. But systems abhor change and our body's system is no exception. It will try to do everything it can to talk us out of what it sees as taking an unnecessary risk. Continues...

No one is born confident. Of course there are people who are naturally extrovert, some are naturally bold and impulsive; others are naturally introvert, people who need to be more cautious and analytical. Experience has taught me that people who are not born with certain qualities, tend to do better than people who are born with them. They don't take them for granted, they invest their time and energy in those qualities. Continues...