The Lifelong Learner :: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -Roosevelt ::

Just do it. And do it often.

Sounds easier than it is, I know. But I think it’s important to take the plunge and learn something new. Continously. We get to grow by doing that. We grow and see improvement only when we stretch ourselves. If you keep repeating the same things over and over, you’re going to get the same results. One of the quotes I remember and really like says the following:

“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”

This year, I’ve got a lot of new things on my mind. I’d like to become a better software engineer, a better communicator, and a better person overall (better husband? ). But how? I’m going to learn new technologies (web services, ajax) and new programming languages (Python) to become a better engineer. I’m going to try new techniques when I’m speaking/communicating at Toastmasters (I’m already getting a lot of ideas from the Toastmasters magazine); and try to improve my writing by trying new techniques to become a better communicator (I’m reading a good book on the subject now). And I’m also going to spend more quality time with my wife (this one is easy). I get a lot of ideas for improvement by reading books, and I read (and listen to books) a lot.

What are you going to do to improve? Think about it for a while.

Just remember: learn something that you don’t know yet. Try something else.

When you learn something new, you initially take a plunge. In essence, you become worse. You suck for a while. This period always happens. It’s hard. It’s tempting to go back to the old ways. Don’t do it. Get used to the new way. After some time adjusting, you will move to a new level. A level that would not have been possible had you been doing the same thing over and over (go ahead and re-read that quote ).

Don’t be scared to suck for a while. It’s normal.

ReferenceBranching Out – Steve Pavlina (He elaborates more on this topic. Excellent read.)