Scare you a little
📪 The Optimal Agent Newsletter #041
Take Action:
Get a new skill (and make sure it scares you a little).
Why It Matters:
Learning to do things that stretch your abilities (and your identity) increases self-confidence, self-reliance, and utility to others — making you a more powerful and resilient Agent within the world.
How To Do It:
Consider where you are weakest. Do you need more skills in your profession? More competence at creating friendship and connection? A new and fulfilling hobby? Is your writing and speaking logical, sharp, and on point?
Choose (and tell no one). Decide what skill you will learn. For bonus points, don’t advertise your pursuit by telling others — just take action.
Learn and equip. Get a theoretical understanding of your desired skill by reading books, watching videos, or perusing online courses. Then, purchase any equipment or accessories you might need to execute.
Apply. This is the most important part. Try it (and do so before you think you’re ready). Experience is the best teacher, and there will never be a magical moment at which you’re “fully prepared”.
Allow for confusion. If the skill you’re pursuing truly stretches you, developing it will begin with a sense of confusion and inability. Understand this is simply part of the process, and take it with equanimity and joy – your discomfort will end through continued practice.
Explore More:
Listen or Watch: O.A. Podcast Episode #41, where Patrick and I discuss the four areas of self-development — and what you should do as a result. (Audio / YouTube)
Read: One of the best books ever written about acquiring new skills — The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin
