Want to learn something? Start Now!

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You’ve read a blog, watched a YouTube video, or an episode of a Podcast. Now, you think you’re fueled with energy, you’ve inspired. Nothing seems to stop you from applying the knowledge you’ve just learned, BUT a week later you realize that you haven’t even tried techniques from the inspirational material that you’ve so passionately consumed.

WHAT HAPPENED?! 

The answer: You haven’t done it in the moment, which is the greatest mistake that you can ever make when you’re trying to become a better you. Why does this happen? The inaction that you perform by not doing something right away triggers a complex chain of thoughts and feelings in your mind that wants to prevent you from doing that exciting thing. 

The mind is scared of trying something new, and it feels that it would be safer for you if you stay where you are. The ways that your brain tricks you are incredible. For example, when I was in a High-School, I was thinking of participating in a school play, so I watched a clip on how to deliver a great performance on stage. When I finished watching it, I committed the fatal mistake of not practicing the skills at the moment. A moment later, my mind switched to cooking soup for lunch. 

First moments of cooking, I was extremely excited about how great my performance would be when I apply all those wonderful exercises from the video. By the time, I started eating my soup my mind was in an entirely different place, I was thinking of my math homework for the following day. Obviously, I haven’t even tried any of the performing techniques that day. 

The next day when I remembered my intention to practice, it wasn’t as strong as it was the day before. Then I’ve shared my goals with my friends, which reduced my desire to practice even more. A few more days have passed, and I overloaded myself with different tasks that I needed to do, which were absolutely unrelated to my performance training.

For the following few days, I was watching new educational videos, overwhelming my brain with information. Eventually, the night before the performance I realized that it was too late for practicing and I had to cancel my plan to perform that day. It was easy because I haven't even officially signed up for it. 

Later, my friends were asking why I wasn’t on stage, and I gave the most universal answer you can hear: “I was busy with other things.” I felt horrible. All this happen, because I was too comfortable and lazy to act in the moment.

It’s essential to start now. It’s a message you declare to your mind, that you are serious about your endeavor. To accomplish that, you have to overcome the following obstacles:

1)  If you comfortably sit in a chair - stand up.

It’s so easy to get cute and don’t do anything if you’re sitting in a comfortable chair, so if you’re serious about taking action now - remove the chair and stretch for a little bit, then practice the skill you’ve just learned.

2)  If you feel sleepy - take a shower.

Sleepiness is a sister of procrastination, you have to get rid of her at all costs, a shower is the most affordable and accessible way to wake up, and if you spice it up with some cold shower session, you’ll have the laser focus. Right after the shower do the exercise from your learning material.

3)  If you're low on energy - go outside.

Lack of oxygen and light can get us passive and idle, so if you feel zero gas in your tank, go outside, preferably to a park and spend there at least 15 minutes. You'll realize that you do have energy and the fresh air bath will make this energy stay inside of you for hours. As soon as you return home, get to your work immediately.

4)  If you want to tell someone about it - don’t.

When you tell someone about your plans, especially in the beginning, it creates a false sensation of completing the task. Your mind thinks that if you’ve told someone your intentions then they are completed. Keep your plans in your head until you have first results, then share them with others.

5)  If your devices are on - turn all of them off.

This should be a no brainer in this day and age. Unfortunately, we tend to ignore that part and then can’t figure out why nothing gets done. Turn off your time stealers and get the job done.

6)  If you don’t have tools to practice - improvise.

When I watched a "how-to" surfing video. I was in a city that was thousands of miles away from the nearest ocean, but it didn’t stop me. I immediately went to a home improvement store and bought a piece of wood that I’ve turned into a balance board. Later that day, I started my surfing practice while listening to some of the Hawaiian music. There’s always a way to improvise, please do that!

Whatever it is that you intend to learn, act now, no matter what. Show yourself that you’re serious about your education and use the techniques that I’ve shared with you to overcome the obstacles that prevent you from immediate action. Do yourself a favor and start NOW! 

Befriend your city

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Do you know your city well? You've been living, working, and studying in it, but can you tell yourself that the city is your friend? Some say right away that, of course, it is my friend. Friendship, however, is a mutual relationship that builds over time. You have to invest your time, and which is more - spend it in full presence with a person or a city who you consider to be your friend. There is an abundance of ways that you can devote your time to your city. 

One way that I’ve discovered for myself is to explore your city's landscape on foot, especially the ones you've never been to. The key part is to forget about all types of transportation there are, including mechanical ones, like a bicycle. When you explore your city, you must be flexible to go in any direction without worries that your bike gets stolen. 

Ideally, you want to leave your phone at home or at least put it in an airplane mode. You may pre-load a book or a podcast, which you can listen as you walk, but make sure to give yourself plenty of time to walk in silence. Get a proper, comfortable uniform appropriate for the weather and make sure you have a bottle of water. Set yourself a destination that will be worthy of talking about later. I’ve come up with a walk from Burbank to the Santa-Monica Pier, which is a 7+ hour walk. I've tested that trips like this make people’s eyebrows rise to the sky, which is an excellent indicator of a good story. The best time to start any walk would be 30 minutes before the sunrise. The air is at its freshest, no cars, low noise, and you are able to focus on your thoughts. 

At the beginning of the walk, it may feel a little scary, perhaps even miserable, because the sun isn’t out yet, but as soon as you witness the first pink beams in the sky your mood elevates, and the real journey begins. When the city catches you walking for more than an hour, it starts surprising you with its hidden gems, that are customized for you. A few things I've discovered that I haven't seen for five years living in LA were the hidden parks with their exquisite statues. On top of that, you meet unusual birds and fascinating wild animals as you explore these parks. At times it feels like the city is a big house and a host at the same time. It treats its visitors with the best things from the house. 

When you reach the third hour of your journey, you realize that you get to know the city, you start to feel it. After that, the city and you are the best pals. You converse in an unspoken language and understand each other well. By the fourth hour, your legs get exhausted, and it's essential to keep going because if you sit, it would be much harder to stand up later, almost impossible. At this point, only the cool destination that you've set for yourself keeps you going. 

When there’s one hour left until the end of your trip, your brain focuses solely on the finish line. The fact that you have this 'tunnel vision" allows you to let go of all the fears and worries, which automatically puts your mind into a meditative state. In turn, it opens the portal to incredible ideas, like a horn of plenty for your brain. A gift that your friend, the city, made possible in return for your time spent with it. When you finally arrive at your destination, which to me was the Santa Monica pier, you may proudly claim you rest.

Congratulations! You've befriended your city. Now, maintain your relationship with it by scheduling your next long walk.

Do something different

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Everyone drives in LA, so I decided to take a long walk. It was from Burbank to Santa-Monica, which is a 6-hour challenge.

This simple way of choosing a different path makes you think in an entirely new way. Fresh connections develop in your brain as your legs get tired. Since the cage of the car does not protect you, it's possible to meet real human beings on your way. Some are nice. Others are questionable. The coolest part is that you have an opportunity to interact with them.

You may encounter weird individuals, but that's okay. That's the beauty of it. You genuinely feel alive. You learn more about yourself and what is crucial. On lucky days you can unveil absolute treasures of life.

Take a path that is strange and adventurous. It has to be original and spontaneous. Dare the world, and off you go.