Want to learn a new skill? Take a hint from a baby!

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onsidering I was a teenager who just decided: “I will write a novel. Right now!” What I lacked in skill, I compensated with creativity and determination. Because most importantly, I just did it. That was roughly 27 or 28 years ago.</p><h2 id="4bc1">Preparation does not always lead to action.</h2><p id="f048">For a long time, I worked on building good habits. I wanted to write daily, improve my photography and advance specific skills. There is plenty of advice out there, free as well as paid. One promising approach I learned from James Clear’s Atomic Habits (no sponsoring affiliation here). He suggests linking the desired habits to your aspired identity. Don’t plan to write daily”. Decide “I am a writer” instead. Then follow the path confirming your identity.</p><p id="f3bd">It was great advice. But did it help me to click “publish”? No, not immediately. I shared with friends, but rarely with the public. My habits and identity building were preparatory steps. Writing lessons (free and paid) and writing habits do not automatically translate into publications.</p><h2 id="1e32">Be like a baby: risk to fall.</h2><p id="9721">I will finally tell you what this has to do with babies. One day, I watched my son learn something new. He was about ten months at the time and already knew how to pull himself up. He could stand for

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a few minutes as long as he held on to somebody or something. He had decided that the time was ripe for updating that skill. He wanted to go all-in and hands-free.</p><p id="003b">He sat in front of me, grabbed my trousers and pulled himself up. So far, the usual. Then he let go. He stood for a few seconds, his body wobbling until he fell on his butt. He looked at me with curiosity. Then, without hesitation, he did it again. Ultimately, he fell again. Over several minutes, I watched him repeat this again and again. And again. Every time, he stood a few seconds longer.</p><h2 id="e657">Doing is like wanting, just crasser.</h2><p id="2601">That is when I had my revelation. There is value in preparing and learning. Good habits and goals have their merits. But sometimes, they lead to procrastination. Preparing becomes the excuse for doing. Or, according to a contemporary German saying: “Doing is like wanting, just crasser.” (Machen ist wie wollen, nur krasser.)</p><p id="b8d4">Now, I have to draw on lessons from another beloved science-fiction franchise. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Master Yoda says to Luke Skywalker: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” All your preparations are like my son’s diapers. They cushion your fall. But to grow, you have to risk falling. Again and again. And again.</p></article></body>

Want to learn a new skill? Take a hint from a baby!

Photo by esudroff on Pixabay.

Yesterday, I published my first text on Medium. Baam! What a feeling. Afterwards, I wondered why it took me so long to post something. Know that feeling? It is not exclusive to this platform. Self-doubt is inherent to all human beings. It only varies in intensity. Well, in my case, it took years.

It all started with a bunch of Klingons.

When I first dreamed of writing a novel, I was eleven or twelve years old. Immersed in Star Trek at the time, I wrote around eighty pages about a Klingon captain’s quest for revenge. There was plenty of action on the bridge. Consoles exploded, and crew members went flying when enemy attacks hit.

On the other hand, there was a lot to improve there. The plot was not well planned, and the style was clumsy. That also applies to the grammar in parts of the text. Maybe that was not surprising, considering I was a teenager who just decided: “I will write a novel. Right now!” What I lacked in skill, I compensated with creativity and determination. Because most importantly, I just did it. That was roughly 27 or 28 years ago.

Preparation does not always lead to action.

For a long time, I worked on building good habits. I wanted to write daily, improve my photography and advance specific skills. There is plenty of advice out there, free as well as paid. One promising approach I learned from James Clear’s Atomic Habits (no sponsoring affiliation here). He suggests linking the desired habits to your aspired identity. Don’t plan to write daily”. Decide “I am a writer” instead. Then follow the path confirming your identity.

It was great advice. But did it help me to click “publish”? No, not immediately. I shared with friends, but rarely with the public. My habits and identity building were preparatory steps. Writing lessons (free and paid) and writing habits do not automatically translate into publications.

Be like a baby: risk to fall.

I will finally tell you what this has to do with babies. One day, I watched my son learn something new. He was about ten months at the time and already knew how to pull himself up. He could stand for a few minutes as long as he held on to somebody or something. He had decided that the time was ripe for updating that skill. He wanted to go all-in and hands-free.

He sat in front of me, grabbed my trousers and pulled himself up. So far, the usual. Then he let go. He stood for a few seconds, his body wobbling until he fell on his butt. He looked at me with curiosity. Then, without hesitation, he did it again. Ultimately, he fell again. Over several minutes, I watched him repeat this again and again. And again. Every time, he stood a few seconds longer.

Doing is like wanting, just crasser.

That is when I had my revelation. There is value in preparing and learning. Good habits and goals have their merits. But sometimes, they lead to procrastination. Preparing becomes the excuse for doing. Or, according to a contemporary German saying: “Doing is like wanting, just crasser.” (Machen ist wie wollen, nur krasser.)

Now, I have to draw on lessons from another beloved science-fiction franchise. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Master Yoda says to Luke Skywalker: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” All your preparations are like my son’s diapers. They cushion your fall. But to grow, you have to risk falling. Again and again. And again.