Ask Them How They Did It

I can sometimes hear it

No matter what skill you want to learn, it’s hard to learn it without the following:

  • Time
  • Patience
  • Tools
  • Practice
  • Perseverance
  • Motivation
  • Resources
  • (Self-)Training
  • Mistakes
  • Failure
  • Feedback
  • Reflection
  • Vision

One item is missing: others.

Who developed that skill before you? How? What worked for them? 

May the same work for you? 

I rarely believe those who say, “I achieved X, and so can you” because, despite what living in an individualistic society often leads me to think, results don’t always depend on how hard I work or how motivated I am. (Read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell for more on this—he discusses how success often depends on external factors.)

Still, those who’ve already walked the path can inspire and guide, and asking them how they did what they did is a good idea.

What skill do you want to learn?

Who could show you one of the many ways to get there?

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