Being Good at Something

Written by Matthew Needham

With the Olympic games coming up, I think it is a perfect time to think about something we all daydreamed about as kids: Being good at something. Individuals that have perfected any craft seem larger than life to us, and unattainable to the regular layman. Now, when I say being good, what I mean is being really good. When we notice an individual performing his craft in a masterful way, without fail, we pause and appreciate it. Anything from flawless routines on the parallel bars, to an exquisite bucket drummer in Eastern Market in Detroit; from watching someone juggle eight different items at once without missing a beat, to someone flying past you on skates performing all manner of acrobatics while you hug the wall and try not to collapse. These are just a few examples of times that we all find ourselves wishing upon a star that we could find our thing to master and be the best in the room at.

No one is born with skill in any area. Skills are learned and then developed. A choice is made by each person with regards to each skill they own on a regular basis, and that is whether or not to pursue developing the skill further. This often is influenced by things like whether they need the skill for the workplace or not, whether it will gain them status upgrades, etc. We have each found ourselves looking back at a previous time where we weren’t nearly as talented at a skill as we are now. Skills are developed when they are used, and the reason we are so much better at anything now than we were when we started is because we put so much time into that thing. Everything has a unique learning curve, but it is just that—a curve. An increasing affinity for that duty that, if taken to the limit, leads to absolute mastery. Mastery is simply the use of a skill so much that the task becomes second nature, and mistakes fall nearly to nothing. This is what anyone can shoot for in any skill they acquire, as long as they are willing to sacrifice their time and efforts to become one with that skill.

So next time the person on the adjacent lane bowls a 300, or someone can seemingly make cards float between hands with their smooth shuffling skills… just recall, they used to gutter and spill cards just like you do now. Remember how they got there.