Enjoying the freebies of learning

Some knowledge is intrinsic. (Image by bella67)

I recently took up rowing, enjoying a few mornings out on the water in a friend’s Cornish pilot gig.

Boating comes with its own specialized vocabulary — and its own fancy knots.

Our coxswain, Susan, is a patient and encouraging teacher. She was showing me how to secure the oars after one of our outings.

The sequence was long: The rope went under here, over there, around this, through that, and so on.

I had a moment of panic. I didn’t think I could learn this on the fly. I would need time and lots of repetition, preferably by myself. After all, it took me something like 45 minutes to learn to do a simple slipknot.

However, to my surprise, I followed Susan’s lead fairly easily. There was just a little bit at the end that I didn’t get until the second or third try. And now, a few weeks later, I can still picture most of the sequence in my head, even though I’ve only done it a couple of times.

Apparently, I have overcome a lifetime of weakness in my spatial and kinesthetic ability. I’m now in the normal range instead of two or three of standard deviations away from it (that’s right, I told you I took statistics). How?

I have to attribute my newfound aptitude to a year’s worth of knitting. I can visualize the path of a length of yarn through a long series of loops and twists. I can execute a long sequence of steps that call for different movements in order to create the desired result. I’ve practiced this for endless hours — it stands to reason that I should be able to do the same thing with rope, even without needles.

I’ve seen a similar phenomenon in tennis. I don’t have a lot of experience as an athlete and the basic strokes haven’t come naturally. However, in a recent match, I found myself spontaneously using a one-handed backhand. I have never practiced a one-handed backhand — only the two-handed one — but I was in a situation in which, somehow, I intuitively perceived that the one-handed backhand was my best option. I did this about four times during the match, and darned if it didn’t actually work once or twice. I’ve been working so hard at tennis that I was able to extend my knowledge and skill and apply it to something new — without conscious thought.

I call these the freebies of learning, and they are incredibly motivating. They happen when you have been working consistently. It can be discouraging to see someone who is an expert in your desired skill. You think to yourself, “How can she make it look so effortless? At this rate, I will never be able to do that!” However, learning is not linear. You may find that you’ve suddenly made a leap forward, causing the skills you seek to be within reach. One morning, you sit down at the piano and can hear things you couldn’t hear before. Or you crack a geometry proof that’s been driving you crazy for three days. Or your business starts getting a bunch of referrals after months in which you worked hard but wondered whether it would ever get off the ground. The investment that you made begins to pay off in unexpected ways, doubling or quadrupling the effort you put in.

Now, if you’re not sure if you’re making progress in the first place, it’s very helpful to have a teacher or coach to work with to help you make sure that you’re focused on the right things and taking the actions that will help lay the groundwork for the leap forward. This mentor can also help you to stay alert for the signs that this growth is happening and show you freebies you’ve already earned. I love to stick a ukulele in the hands of a guitar student and watch her face light up as she realizes that she can make music with it right away!

The human brain is an incredible machine, oriented toward growth. It may seem impossible that you can learn things without pain and struggle, but it might not be as hard as you think. You may already have the necessary skills to do all kinds of cool things that you haven’t tried yet. Keep an eye out for the freebies and bonuses — you may be surprised at where you find them.