New skills take time

Ever get frustrated while trying to do something new? Yeah, me too.

Give yourself a break. It takes time.

One of my favorite parts of the movie “The Matrix” is how they download new skills to their brains. Need to fly a military helicopter? No problem! Just wait 10 seconds for the program to load. Jujitsu? Done.

Oh, if only it were that easy.

I think most of us can accept this concept when it is a physical skill. Sports are a good example. Most of us realize that it will take time for our bodies to develop the muscle memory required to swing a baseball bat, or a golf club, or a tennis racket.

But, when it comes to developing new mental skills or instituting behavioral changes, we somehow expect ourselves to be transformed overnight.

Just like learning to play a musical instrument, or a new sport, it takes time for our minds and our bodies to form the muscles and muscle memory to execute the fundamentals. Likewise, practice and repetition are the keys to ingraining these new skills.

So, keep practicing. Measure your progress. And give yourself the necessary time.