Mastery Over Motion: Stick With One Skill

Introduction:

Think of the last time you tried to learn something difficult. We’ll use juggling as an example, and at first it seems fun and interesting to watch videos on how people consistently perform the skill, but once we start to practice it quickly becomes boring, and we stop. Is boredom the right word, or is it the fear of not being able to understand something?

Boredom:

Boredom is a word often used to describe one’s lack of enthusiasm for a certain task. It could be a history class or a sport, but typically, people tend to put zero effort. Many people tend to misuse the concept of boredom, however. 

Human Psychology:

Humans have an innate response to certain things they may not be good at; we want to be the best at everything, and if we display signs of weakness, we may feel inferior. We all have experienced this feeling before because we will eventually be forced to face extremely difficult or near-impossible tasks. This causes us to desperately search for something we are great at, but the harsh reality is that many things require dedicated effort and commitment rather than a quick understanding. Take piano, for example, we may find some pianist as extremely gifted and have an innate talent to play piano, and while this may be true to an extent, it’s typically a consistent effort and schedule that builds their skills to such heights.

So, why do we tend to skip and pretend to be intrigued by a skill? Well, usually people understand boredom extremely well. If you tell a friend you don’t play chess because it seems boring, they’ll understand and won’t question it. It may be effective during the beginning stages of new skills, but over time, this bad habit will ruin your chances at actually finding a passion. One example could be a sports club at a school, kids tend to practice for years behind the scenes, but we only hear the stories of how they play for the school, and nothing about the practice before. These constant praises or ideas will linger in our mind, and it may kill our desire to play that particular sport because of the idea of talented kids who picked up a ball and mastered all techniques. This is not the case, however, and as a result, the people may feel demotivated to play a particular sport. Furthermore, people do not want to be behind others, so they will alternate to a different sport, but find the same problem related to that field; all of the opportunities will vanish, and we will not be fascinated with anything.

The Harmful Effects of Demotivation:

How harmful is apathy or a lack of interest in a certain field? 

This is a critical question for understanding what leads to and the effects of constantly switching skills. Firstly, people tend not to find a passionate hobby; hobbies are important for keeping your mental health in regulation during stressful times, because they allow you to relax and have fun at the same time. Time goes by a lot quicker playing basketball or soccer than watching a documentary in art class, because we feel more connected to sports. But many individuals don’t feel connected to sports either. Since there is no clear indicator for what an individual likes to do, there is no apparent reaction to anything, and they will portray themselves as dull or uninterested in anything. The effects of constantly switching skills are extremely harmful to one’s brain and can even result in health complications biologically. You may feel stressed that you cannot find peace, and the stress will impact your brain and your entire body. 

So… How Do We Fix this?

There is no easy fix; this is quite complicated, and it needs to be traced to a certain start point. Many people cannot find this starting point because it is a slow and tedious problem that builds on through the years. Once the effects finally occur, it’s difficult to remember when you started to feel a certain way. A great way to help prevent or mitigate the effects is to commit to a club or an activity for at least a year or two. At first, it will seem enduring and boring, but over time, you’ll build connections and start to find passion. Secondly, try to find something you’re good at and try to join a competition. Try to have a cook-off or a basketball scrimmage for a prize with friends to help your competitive nature and rebuild the passion. Beginning phases will be rough, but over time, the results will positively benefit you. Some great habits to include in your routine include,

• Yoga

• Meditation

• Running

• Boardgames

These sessions do not need to be long; try to meditate for 5 minutes and simply allow your mind to wander to different places. Try to run a half mile and push yourself to your limit, and finally try to play a game with family.

Skills:

We’ve addressed the problem and different ways to help fix it, but what is the importance of learning a skill? Skills are something you can learn; these are not inherited, but certain people may be able to adapt more quickly than others. Hence, people may be better than others. That is where talent comes in; talent refers to physical, mental, or psychological gifts that are suited for a particular game. On the contrary, skills are developed and constantly upgraded over time. A more logical person may find chess easier than a game related to vocabulary because their mind is wired around puzzles, thus they may find the game easier than other people. But certain people may not have these innate talents; that is where skill comes in. You may have heard the phrase,

• “Hard work beats talent.”

But is this truly accurate? Are people who consistently put effort more likely to perform better at a certain activity than a talented individual? To a certain extent, hard work is important, but those who are the greatest tend to have a mixture of both. Do not let this demotivate you; you will need to accept that somewhere will have an advantage, but the important aspect is discipline and commitment. If you work three days a week on a certain task with subpar effort, you’re most likely going to be worse than a talented individual because you are not pushing yourself. Alternatively, an individual who puts in max effort once in a while may slowly progress; the long-term impacts are most likely not apparent because they are not pushing their mind and body consistently. You will need to implement both. The phrase should be

• Strong discipline with maximal effort will most definitely beat talent if talent does not work hard.

There will be people you simply cannot pass due to certain circumstances, but be happy performing in the 99th percentile rather than being below average. 

Finding a Skill You Enjoy:

For younger individuals, it is a lot faster to find something enjoyable because you’re carefree and have a curious mind. But as you age, stress builds up, and certain situations that may cause anxiety will result in you being scared to try something new. We shouldn’t regret the opportunities we missed as kids, but rather, we should focus on the new options we have as older teens and young adults. Write down on a piece of paper,

• Why do I feel apathy towards something?

• How should I improve?

• Do I have a goal?

• What caused my problems?

Go to AI and ask it to randomly generate an activity; it can be anything, but the goal is to commit to the random activity. It may sound stupid or weird, but force yourself to try it for a year, truly feel passion, work hard, and find different videos to improve your skills. You’re not going to be talented at everything, but you can maximize your skills at a particular thing and mend the garden for years to come.