7 Principles for How to Become Good at Almost Anything

I’ve been thinking about this concept for a while: What’s a good pattern for becoming good at something? There’s a lot of literature out there on this; most of it’s garbage (in my not-so humble opinion). I’ve read a lot of it, tried many of the ideas for myself, and I think I’ve come upon a pattern that yields reliable, repeatable successes.

That said, I should start with the caveats and disclaimers: This pattern works for me. Your results may vary, but I think there’s something to this pattern, which is why I’m sharing. This pattern will help you become good at almost anything. Continue reading 7 Principles for How to Become Good at Almost Anything

I’m Getting Old. Meh.

This morning, before I had even begun to drink coffee, I wobbled downstairs to find my wife sitting at her desktop doing some research. Next to her were a few reprints of our wedding photos she had recently made in preparation for Christmas. I glanced down and almost cringed at the half-as-old me grinning back. I was thin, too thin, like a stick. Glasses. Geek.

Many years have passed since then; nearly half my life to date. I’m still a geek, but I’m a lot older, greyer. No more glasses. Some would say I’m more distinguished. They would be wrong. My hair is thinning; my waist line isn’t. My muscles have opinions about the sort of mattress I sleep on and express these opinions well. My joints are holding out, at least so far, but I have noticed a curious inability to think as clearly and with as much focus as I did 20 years ago. I’m certainly much more wise now versus then; smarter too if you measure in terms of raw knowledge and data. I can learn things faster, being that I can leverage a history of previous similar learning experiences. But I feel (unscientifically) that I’m slowly slipping as an intellectual. Continue reading I’m Getting Old. Meh.