The ‘sign’ you were looking for is here, it’s time to finally learn that new thing you’ve always wanted to learn!
Imagine a world where nothing is holding you back. Where you are able to learn anything, even that one skill you’ve been saving to learn because once you learn it, it’s over for everyone else. But then you snap back into a reality where you have assignments and midterms piling up, with work shifts pushing themselves into your schedule.
It definitely sounds more daunting to take the time and effort to figure out a new skill or explore anything new. But, it might be time for you to stop putting that skill or hobby on the back burner and bring it to life. The hardest thing about learning isn’t the act itself, but the act of starting and committing to that learning. Pondering how you’ll start, or why, is usually all it takes for us to back out from committing to something that we don’t necessarily have to do. But as someone who reaps the benefits of finally doing something that I put off for so long, I have to say, you’ll never know how helpful something might translate to be unless you do it.
Thus, my aim here is to present what I like to call a ‘universal checklist’ that will help you master a skill at a surface level. Now I mention surface level because this list can only go so far. Once you’ve mastered the surface, you can tweak the list to master it at a level that you would like to be at.
- Idealize why you want to do it
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Reminding yourself why you’re putting in the work to do something lets you decide one of two things: that it’s worth the time and effort, or that it’s not. In hopes of setting you up for gratitude and not regret, let’s make sure that you get this part right. This will play a large role when you feel like dropping your commitment. You’ll have a reminder staring at you for why you started in the first place.
- Starting steps, daunting, unless you follow this list
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Pick a date to just read about the skill you want to learn. This will allow you to delve in without having to get into the nitty-gritty of it. Read about what it entails, what it can provide and do for you, and why it’s helpful.
Find the best way to learn what it is that you want to learn. If you are planning to learn coding, find a reliable site that you can do so from. Coursera has an incredible Python course that is great for beginners. The point here is finding out how you can learn the simplest parts of the skill you want to develop, that too correctly.
Set in SMALL goals. Fix onto a schedule small goals that you want to hit. Knowing that there are goals that need to be achieved, you’ll be motivated to work towards them, without the overwhelming feeling of having to do a lot to reach them (this is why you keep them small!).
- Keep it going
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Treat yourself for every milestone you reach (the same way you would after writing a midterm you didn’t study for). Remember, this is something you are doing for yourself without the pressure of a grade on your transcript, so acknowledge that reaching the milestones you set is a great achievement.
- Apply the skill!
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This is going to be where your hands really get dirty (literally if your chosen skill is cooking). If coding is what you want to learn, make sure that you are applying the code in environments to produce something effective with the codes you have learned. Here you would be actively building your problem-solving skills with coding.
- Enjoy and share it!
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Here you can think of teaching someone else the skill or sharing your love for the new skill that you have built. The former will build your own knowledge, and the latter will grow your love for the skill and respect for yourself for having learned it.
I hope you can use this list to finally develop or start building the skill you’ve been eager to learn. Remember, you’ll never know what opportunities await unless you take that first step.