Practice makes perfect

I want to explain the different stages we go through when we want to do something new. This can help us navigate the process of learning without expecting ourselves to be experts straight away. It is expected that you may fall or encounter some hurdles to overcome.

Often, when we want to learn something new, the first step is awareness that we don’t have a particular skill we want to possess. The best example I have of this is a baby learning to walk.

Awareness

The baby becomes aware that there is a thing called walking that they want to do and cannot do yet. Awareness may come from watching others and wanting to copy them, or it may come out of frustration or a desire to do something new.

Learning

So the baby decides to start walking by mimicking adults, crawling and trying what they see others do. However, can they do it on their own? Of course not, they need support. This may come in the form of parents holding their hands and guiding them, or the child may use a table or chair to prop themselves up.

Without this support, there is no way the baby would be able to learn to walk. As adults, this is often the step we forget. We need the help and support of others around us to be able to take those first steps. It’s OK to ask for help.

In a work context, this may look like signing up for a course, getting a mentor, or simply asking your boss or teammates for help.

Practice

So once the baby starts to walk, what is the first thing that is guaranteed to happen? The baby will fall. What do parents say? It’s the voice of encouragement: “try again”, “pick yourself up”, “you can do this”. We don’t ask the baby to give up.

As adults, we often forget this. When we fall, we forget it is normal to fall. We can be harsh with ourselves and those around us. We need to be much more encouraging.

Mastery

What eventually happens to the baby? Not only do they start walking, but they start running. So, as adults, know that you can also develop a skill with practice.

So, next time you want to try something new, remember the different stages and keep going. Develop resilience and a can-do attitude, and over time, you can become more confident and capable.

Remember:

It’s natural, and necessary, to ask for help. This can be via a coach, friends, family or mentors. A good coach can help support you in the initial stages, where it is often easiest to give up. Many people give up in the early stages as soon as they fall or hit a hurdle. However, with encouragement to keep going, they may succeed.

Progress comes with practice.

Once you have decided to do something, keep moving forward, one step at a time. It gets easier with practice. It’s like planning to run a marathon; you have to keep training and going. Eventually, you can do it.