so i've recently made a decision to learn something. something that i do not currently know how to do. I've not yet decided what that thing will be, but things are coming into sharper focus and i'll be making a decision in the next couple of weeks. here's the deal . . .
i am 60 yrs old. for the record, i'm a 'young' 60. i don't look my age (most of the time), feel 37, and my wife insists i act like i am 13. i have a 17yr old son so that probably keeps me young - in spirit, at least. in 5 yrs time, i will be 65. whether or not i invest time in learning some new skill, i'll still be 65 in 5 yrs so why not add a tool to my tool belt. currently on the table are: italian, french, pot throwing, glass blowing, piano, guitar, yoga, and probably a few other things that could come outta nowhere in the next couple weeks and end up being 'the thing'.
the way i will approach this is i will invest an hour or more the first day. then continue that practice till i have consistently invested at least an hour each day for one week. then 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 months, and then, be able to look back on a year of consistent learning, application and 'cycle time', learning to master this new skill.
from the 1 yr mark, then i place my focus on the 2 yr mark, then set my sights on yr. 5. one can become pretty good at a thing with 5 yrs of consistent effort and practice. i'm mature enough to not be bothered by the 'crappy' stage that accompanies any new undertaking. it's not my first rodeo in general and i have done this before. with some pretty good results to show for the effort.
i'm leaning toward learning the guitar for several reasons. it is something i can do for a very long time; i love music and it's been a big part of my life; my best friend is a very accomplished guitar player so i can probably leverage that experience to get a leg up here and there; and maybe most importantly for me, this is something my son wants to learn, and as with most young people, being crappy at something (a fairly necessary stage on the way to mastery) is not something he is that comfortable with. so, as he watches his old man take on something i have virtually no experience with, and see how, over time, i am able to get pretty darned good (that's my plan), i think it will be great modeling for him. as a dad, seizing the teaching moment is always paramount.
so my question for my fellow rss'ers: if you were to take a similar approach to learning some new skill that you do not now possess, and were willing to dedicate an hour or more a day to that thing, what would you learn? and, maybe at least as important, why?
sorry for the length. interested to see what others would choose.
i am 60 yrs old. for the record, i'm a 'young' 60. i don't look my age (most of the time), feel 37, and my wife insists i act like i am 13. i have a 17yr old son so that probably keeps me young - in spirit, at least. in 5 yrs time, i will be 65. whether or not i invest time in learning some new skill, i'll still be 65 in 5 yrs so why not add a tool to my tool belt. currently on the table are: italian, french, pot throwing, glass blowing, piano, guitar, yoga, and probably a few other things that could come outta nowhere in the next couple weeks and end up being 'the thing'.
the way i will approach this is i will invest an hour or more the first day. then continue that practice till i have consistently invested at least an hour each day for one week. then 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 months, and then, be able to look back on a year of consistent learning, application and 'cycle time', learning to master this new skill.
from the 1 yr mark, then i place my focus on the 2 yr mark, then set my sights on yr. 5. one can become pretty good at a thing with 5 yrs of consistent effort and practice. i'm mature enough to not be bothered by the 'crappy' stage that accompanies any new undertaking. it's not my first rodeo in general and i have done this before. with some pretty good results to show for the effort.
i'm leaning toward learning the guitar for several reasons. it is something i can do for a very long time; i love music and it's been a big part of my life; my best friend is a very accomplished guitar player so i can probably leverage that experience to get a leg up here and there; and maybe most importantly for me, this is something my son wants to learn, and as with most young people, being crappy at something (a fairly necessary stage on the way to mastery) is not something he is that comfortable with. so, as he watches his old man take on something i have virtually no experience with, and see how, over time, i am able to get pretty darned good (that's my plan), i think it will be great modeling for him. as a dad, seizing the teaching moment is always paramount.
so my question for my fellow rss'ers: if you were to take a similar approach to learning some new skill that you do not now possess, and were willing to dedicate an hour or more a day to that thing, what would you learn? and, maybe at least as important, why?
sorry for the length. interested to see what others would choose.
