Developing a Skill, Even if it Seems Like You Don’t Have the Necessary Talent
Before getting started, there is an important question to ask: Why would you want to develop that specific skill? Narrow it down. Why do you want to loose weight? Why do you want to learn to play a musical instrument? Why do you want to run a marathon?
If you primarily do something to impress others or to become more respected, then you might find it quite difficult to sustain your motivation over a prolonged period of time. Quite the opposite becomes true if you feel a strong inner desire to learn more and conquer something. This makes it very hard to turn away from your goal…once you figure out how to get started.
This burning desire, this clear wish, is the key to accessing a gigantic internal fuel reserve. Once you light the flame of intention, the only thing for you to figure out is how to convert this energy into effective action. The following ideas will help you move forward:
The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare. (-Bobby Knight)
- Decide that you will reach your goal, no matter how hard it becomes and how long the road might be. People making that fundamental decision will be as much as 400% more effective than people who do not commit this strongly.
- Divide up your goals into small steps that you can practice and repeat. Imagine being a musician who is sectioning up a long song into smaller pieces to practice, bit by bit. At the very end of this process, all the sections combine into the final song.
- After that, you decide upon a period of time every day or every week in which you will dedicate yourself to the first step of your goal. If you want to go pro or be world class, this could turn into hours of daily or weekly effort. If you pursue your goals while still having to focus on many other things, then you are best off starting out as small as possible. Only five minutes a day amounts to 30 hours a year. Moreover, 10 minutes per day already amount to a staggering 1.5 working weeks per year…and the 10 minutes you put in are hardly noticeable.
- Organize your time in way that it will be easy for you to stick to your commitment. If you need several minutes of preparation each time you want to get started, chance are good that you will loose interest. Make it as easy as possible for you to keep making progress. Try to make it much more fun than work.
If you have any questions, get in touch with us at hello@goalifyapp.com. We love being part of your adventures, and supporting you along the way.