Skill
How many times, knowingly or unknowingly, have we told ourselves that “I CAN’T do it”?
From childhood, there were many things we are able to do after some kind of practice, such as cycling, swimming, playing a new game, cooking, dancing etc.
There are many research studies that show it takes 10,000 hours of training to master a specific skill. If you really ask the question of what this study is trying to prove, they were studying the people who really achieved mastery in a particular skill and reached very high levels using that skill. Some examples are Michael Jackson, A.R. Rahman, Britney Spears, etc.
Similar kinds of studies were done to find out the minimum hours of practice one needs to do to learn a NEW SKILL and feel proud.
You will be very surprised to know the answer, which is a mere 20 hours of commitment. That is just a 1-hour commitment each day, which equates to a new skill every month, even if we exclude weekends!
WOW – any SKILL can be learned within 20 hours of committed training and a focus to achieve it.
What if you were told that everything is a skill, not an inborn quality or a gift. This opens us to a whole universe of opportunities for those who are willing to give it a try and commit just 20 hours of effort to learn a new skill.
Competency Ladder: Mastering a skill goes through four phases of competence as depicted in the below diagram. This theory of “Four Stages for Learning any New Skill” was developed by Noel Burch in 1970.
By understanding the four levels, one can easily overcome any kind of mental obstacles in the path of acquiring a new skill.
- The first stage (red) from the bottom is called Unconscious Incompetence. In this level, one doesn’t understand the purpose of a skill and doesn’t recognize that they even lack that skill and its usefulness.
- The second stage (yellow) is called Conscious Incompetence. In this level, one recognizes that they lack a skill by understanding its usefulness.
- The third stage (green) is the Conscious Competence. In this level, one makes an effort to acquire the skill and is able to perform in a way that they can be proud. One can cross the first 3 stages by investing 20 hours of time towards acquiring a particular skill.
- The fourth stage (blue) is the Unconscious Competence. In this level, one practices the skill so much that he is able to master the skill, so that it becomes a second nature, and it can be performed without even a big effort.
I strongly believe:
Any skill learned early on, can take you to miraculous destinations, which you never dreamed of.
When was the last time, in the recent past, you explored something new, which you never did before?
In the last 1 week, did you acquire a new skill? If “YES”, you are awesome!!!
If “NOT”
How about in the last 1 month?
How about in the last 3 months?
How about in the last 6 months?
How about in the last 1 year?
How about in the last 5 years?
How about in the last 10 years?
When you read the above lines, you might be wondering why I am kind of asking the same type of question for different periods of time.
The more times you answered “NO” shows that you are getting rusty and that it is time to brush up and give a chance for yourself to be ready for what is needed from you.
Being ready is of utmost importance. You will regret or sometimes will be forced, if you are not ready,
The 10 skills you need to master to succeed are:
- Being honest about yourself
- Innovate – Connect the dots
- Adaptability
- Having confidence – To see things positively
- Listening
- Public speaking
- Managing your time
- Live in the present moment – Not past, Not future
- Being consistent
- Have empathy
Rate yourself on each skill on a scale of 1 to 10, having 1 as a beginner to 10 as mastered, Work towards achieving mastery on each skill to achieve great success in your life.
Spending life miserable is EASY,
Practicing Happiness is a SKILL!!!!