My recent favorite thing? Learning something new
Why I started learning Spanish and taking singing lessons
My children recently became very taken with roller skates. We only had one set that did not fit either of them particularly well, so I decided to buy each a set of roller blades. If you have ever roller bladed or skated, you know that the two activities are similar but different. The alignment of the wheels differs which means that your means of balancing will shift depending on the type of footwear. For the first week, the kids wanted to spend every spare minute on the roller blades, just so they could get the hang of their new means of transportation.
There is a thrill in conquering a new challenge. Almost nothing gives me more energy than learning something new. For one thing, learning something new changes my ideas about who I am. We can take on new identities when we learn something new. My kids became true inline skaters. Sometimes we learn something huge which alters our self-understanding drastically: becoming a parent or a spouse, for instance (although I think we are learning in real time as we are living into said role), or achieving a degree or certification. But even learning small things can bring a great sense of invigoration. I never thought I would be a breadmaker, but lo and behold, now I can make sourdough.
No one enjoys being bad at something, and especially as we grow proficient at many things in adulthood, it can be difficult to knowingly embark upon a project where we will fail or be mediocre, at least initially. As children, we constantly are practicing new skills, and we grow accustomed to being amateurs. Once we learn our numbers, we learn addition, then multiplication, then algebra, then calculus. We are always layering on more complexity. At some point when we age, that stops, and we realize that we have become masters in whatever fields we choose, whether that is baking apple pie or executing complex thoracic surgery or coordinating five busy family members’ calendars or running an efficient meeting. We tend to gravitate even more towards those areas in which we already excel. (Of course many studies continue to support that one of the best practices to combat mental decline is by working the brain by playing an instrument or reading or learning something new. )
As adults, we also have less time to experiment with new things with no end in mind. Sure, we may learn a foreign language because our employer requires that of us, but it is a heavier lift to learn a foreign language just because we would like to use it one day when we travel abroad. I do not think it is a coincidence that I am suddenly finding energy to try new things now that my kids are both school-aged. When they were little, I had no extra brain space to devote to anything beyond keeping them alive, running the household, and pursuing a career. Timing plays a tremendous role here. Not all seasons in life lend themselves to trying something new.
But when those seasons do present themselves, lean in enthusiastically. I set modest expectations. While I do not want to pressure myself to excel, I do want to encourage myself to genuinely try, so that means creating regular space to practice. That means identifying those pockets of time in the day where I can open up my Duolingo app and squeeze in a few minutes of a Spanish lesson, or staying in my car for an extra five minutes to run through the song I am rehearsing. I have a schedule for breadmaking. I created a basket with art supplies in an attempt to prompt more crafting…and so far I have not found time or inspiration, so that may be a failed experiment.
I like surprising myself with what I can do or what I am willing to try. Here I am referring primarily to fairly low-stakes ventures, but certainly big changes like career pivots and specialized training also impact us significantly. I am and always have been attracted to a growth mindset. It is fun to see my husband acquire new skills and passions, and I imagine most people would say the same for their partners. When I imagine the years I (hopefully) have left, I realize I have so much more to explore. That feels exciting…even like a new set of roller blades…