A Recipe for Developing a New Skill
Developing a skill is hard by the yard but a cinch by the inch.
To thrive in the current world, having a diverse skill set is not an option anymore; it is required. However, developing a new skill is no duck soup. Repetitive practice, tireless patience, and perseverance are necessary to master any new skill.
I learned computer programming by practicing regularly. You, too, can do the same.
Though we all know what practice means, let’s look at how Oxford Languages, aka Google’s dictionary, defines the noun ‘practice’ as:
“The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it.”
I believe the scariest two words are ‘actual’ and ‘application’ in this definition. Regardless, if we examine ourselves for a moment why it is so difficult to put a theory into application, we all would agree that it is an internal force pulling us away from our task.
Now, the obvious question is why it happens. Why do we keep ourselves away from something we want to accomplish? Rather than finding out ‘why,’ which itself deserves a separate long article, let’s focus on how we can escape from this internal paradox.
I will start by giving an example. As a biologist, computer programming is a nightmare for me, and I am sure it’s the same for others. However, I needed to learn how to program in R and Python for my research. Initially, I started with the basics and explored multiple resources (i.e., Coursera, Udemy, DataCamp, and of course, YouTube and a lot of reading from StackOverflow) on the same topic. Doing that eradicates your fear of missing out on something.
When I had a solid foundation on the overlapping basics from several resources, I immediately started working on my project, which resulted in tons of problems. And, as of today, no problem had stopped me from doing what I wanted to with my project- meaning that more issues led to more searching for the solution, amounting to more learning.
It’s been more than two years since I started learning these languages. But, as I look back today, I discovered that the more you practice, the sweeter the learning becomes. And, who doesn’t like sweets, huh?
The growth of a Chinese bamboo tree: a test for our patience
You must have heard of the Chinese bamboo tree story. These trees require five years of careful watering, fertile soil, and indomitable patience to grow. During these five years, nothing happens to the seed, and you don’t see anything coming out of the ground, but you have to keep watering and nurturing it. You miss one day watering it; the seed is dead the next day!
But, interestingly, once it crosses the fifth year, something amazing happens. The tree grows ninety feet tall in just five weeks.
Now, the question is, “did the tree grow in five weeks or five years?”. The answer is obvious: five years. I haven’t found any other compelling story about patience than the Chinese bamboo tree story.
There is a reason we want to master a skill- it may be because we either want to advance our career, apply to a graduate school, or solve a new problem. While many things are out of our control during those processes, we can better equip ourselves to control the things within our reach with patience if we keep the Chinese bamboo tree story in mind.
Perseverance is all about maintaining your beginner’s mind throughout the process.
I rarely can remember how many times I felt so motivated and energetic at the beginning of a learning process but lost the motivation as I progressed toward the end. And I believe I am not the only one here. So now the question is why that happens.
I do not have a definite answer to that question. So instead, I have formulated a trick that I use to keep myself out of this question when I go through a learning process. Let me explain it with an analogy.
Say, I want to climb a mountain today. Why? Because I want to enjoy the top view. And, of course, the workout is a bonus. As I start climbing the mountain, my muscles start soaring, and my body is not supporting me. Halfway through, I realize that the mountain is steeper than I thought. Minutes later, the Sun is killing me now.
While everything was happening to me, I forgot my main goal: that is to enjoy the top view.
So, here’s what I do. The above-mentioned issues are expected to happen to me when I climb a mountain, except for any unfortunate injury. As long as I have a bottle of water and a pair of running shoes, regardless of what may appear in the process, I will not stop until I reach the peak.
And, I am pretty sure nobody has ever regretted watching a beautiful sunset or sunrise at the top of a mountain, given how hard the climbing was!
Developing a new skill or pursuing something uncomfortable but worthwhile is challenging, yet we can master anything with regular practice, tireless patience, and resolute perseverance.
Mama u have wrote just awesome. ❤ I can't explain u how much I feel after reading this Newsletter. It's universal truth that '' Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect". For that we should practice everything every day. And I really don't knew the story of Chinese Bamboo Tree. It's really amazing. And it is yours best Newsletter I have read .
Thanks for it 💜
@Prachi