Challenge Yourself

Ralph Waldo Emerson said…”Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”  I couldn’t agree more.  Therefore, I present to you this lovely layout with this blog content... see my layout version in the graphic that I inserted.  I am learning the new Adobe CS6 Creative Suite.  This is quite an undertaking as the software is massive and very powerful.  It will allow a user to do photo editing, altering and enhancements, digital, print and desktop publishing, create videos, podcasts, music mashups, websites, iPad and smartphone apps, graphic design…and even more. 

So you can imagine what an undertaking it is to start from pretty much the beginning in my efforts to learn this software.  I am doing this through reading a book that is literally about 6” thick and watching all of the fabulous videos available online.  I read and watch then I try to duplicate and apply what I have learned.

So, how does this make any difference and why am I blogging about it?  Well, my point is this:  Do something to challenge yourself.  You must shake things up and continue to grow both personally and professionally.  I truly believe that it is when we become stagnant and mundane, we begin to feel dissatisfied with our daily routine and find ourselves discontent.  This often leads to larger changes that get made whether it is relocation, career shifts, ending relationships or other life-altering steps.  Perhaps instead of drastic changes, the trick is to enhance your situation by learning something new.

This strategy will be different for everyone.  Some people need to learn things that are relative and make sense in their reality; however, some people are very good at totally switching focus and learning something totally off their radar.  For instance, some people might not expect a college instructor to take lessons in cake decorating, tap dance and motorcycle safety.  Which, by the way, I have done all of these things and very much appreciated what I learned in doing so.  I certainly didn’t become a “master” as Emerson referenced, but I did give it a try and did add some new skills to my repertoire.

Although the skills are great to have regardless of their amateur level, the bigger benefit lies in knowing that I sharpened my mind by opening it to something new, I gained a different perspective than one I had previously known and I broadened my experience base.   What was something you recently learned and how did you go about learning it?  How did it make you a more well-rounded person and increase your catalog of knowledge?