Being present is an undeniable need when trying to learn something. When we say present we mean that your focus is devoted to what is happening right then and there. Leave your troubles at the door of the studio and devote your time here to your personal growth and the growth of others.

Understanding your innate talents

Know yourself. Understand that everyone is different and unique and thats the way it should be. There is a need that you will fill. Take advantage of your strengths and natural talents and you will triple your results.

In order for there to be growth you MUST challenge yourself. Period. Now, this does not mean reckless, over the top challenges that leave you sore and drained for days, but more so manageable progress. Push your limits to the edge of comfort and see what you are capable of.

Someone who knows thousands of techniques but has only practiced each one once is less powerful than someone has practiced one technique a thousand times. The understanding of a single technique on that level uncovers many important lessons that would otherwise be lost. Lets not be surface fish and dive deep. There’s lots to find!

Our emotions are a part of being human. Love em’ or hate em’ they’re here to stay. Learning that they come and go in strong burst is important in remaining mentally and physically flexible. If you are brittle like a dry twig, those burst will cause you to snap. Let’s try and be more like a blade of grass that will bend in strong winds, but simply stand back up afterwards.

Yes, everyone has natural strengths and talents but having the mindset where you believe that is all you will ever be is detrimental to the learning process. Understand that with hard work and dedication all skills can be learned and improved on. Small incremental progress is better than no progress at all.

When learning something brand new it’s very easy to become focused on your mistakes, or what you don’t know. If your focus is primarily on those mistakes WATCH OUT, you are in a downward spiral. Things will only get worse. Understand this is natural, and allow yourself to regain focus on the task at hand. You’ve got this!

When learning something new, most want to be good right away. Although that may be the case in some situations, in others it is NOT. Feel free to stumble, be beaten and lose. Most of life’s lesson come during a loss. You don’t always need to win.

We love seeing results don’t we? It is a major part of what motivates us to continue… but what motivates us when we have a lull in our progress? The answer lies in the joyful play of a child. They are not playing for results, they are doing it simply because they enjoy it. So what if we were able to love every part of the process. The simple act of doing it would be far greater than the results. And guess what? Love what you are doing and results are sure to come my friends.

Many of these lessons can be learned in everyday life but for an in depth look at the learning process check out the book written by Joshua Waitzkin entitled “The Art of Learning”