Every time I want to learn a new skill I become humble. Because I studied music, I know not to take for granted the skill I want to acquire. I know that there will be some different steps in my journey, some expected like in technique or sight-reading, some not so obvious like the ones in my psychology. Let me explain.
When I pick up a new passion, at first there is the enthusiasm. It’s more than an emotion, it’s a hunger. I admit that it feels great but I also know that it’s fragile. I need to keep my eagerness alive and strong if I want to dig deeper, day after day, into the subject I am approaching. As I am practicing and sometimes struggling, I always reserve some time during my practice to have fun, even if it’s easy, even if it doesn’t produce good results. The fire needs to burn as vigorously as possible.
After the initial enthusiasm usually comes determination. This is to help me go through some difficult passages like a rough technical exercise. I steel myself to make sure I won’t give up. Sometimes I become obsessed and keep on thinking for days about a specific point that I want to develop. I use my determination to become what I want to become, on my own term.
There are many other angles I could describe about the psychology of learning, like resilience or pride. They are all important and essential in order to build my skill, but here is what I try not to do: use my feelings against me. I don’t want to be discouraged or stressed, I don’t want to be overwhelmed. The journey has to be as joyful and wonderful as possible. Still, and we all go through that, there are times when I get a bit lost and down on myself. That’s when I remember this little expression: The hard makes it good. It means that no matter what, I need to keep going.
