(Or, How to Do The Scary Thing)
Today, I was linked to a cool blog xxiivv by @rudyon. I don't remember precisely the article I clicked on, but on it there was yet another link to a site called Hundred Rabbits. Navigating to their About Us I found that their work aligns with topics I find quite interesting including technology, its fragility, and its degradation over time. I also found out that they WORK ON A SAILBOAT! Anyways, they have a page outlining the precise sailboat they are on (they named it Pino!) and its relevant specs. They also have multiple articles depicting the considerable amount of thought that has gone into everything from how they anchor the boat to how they store water for their trips. There's even articles about all of the locations they've been to.
But now we get to the heart of why I'm even writing this article. As I was reading, I thought to myself, "This is sick! But I could never go sailing." This was actually my actual, initial reaction. To remove the "having a sailboat" constraint I changed the thought experiment. Say I was literally given a sailboat. Would I still say I couldn't go sailing? Again, my initial reaction was, "Yes. Because I'd probably get lost, capsize the damn thing, or die from insufficient resources." My third and final thought to myself (I have had no more since) was this, "This is the lowest agency, lamest response I think I have ever had the displeasure of entering my consciousness."
Seriously. Sailing. Obviously it's hard, but to completely write it off because I don't think I can do it? That is lame.
But then, once again, another thought (not from me this time, maybe a divine entity). "This crops up with every new thing in my life ." The moment I discover some cool new thing I immediately disregard it as not being possible for me to carry out. And so, here it is, in all its glory, I present "Sailing for the Skiddish" or "How to do the Scary Thing."
When presented with a situation, experience, or skill that you immediately deem as cool that you also immediately deem as "not happening", you should do the following:
- Ask yourself, "What are the true risks of this activity?" and "Have people done this before?"
- If death is on the table, the activity immediately jumps up like 100 points.
- If yes then you lose a few points of cool but that's okay.
- If both death and yes are your answers, and you are skiddish, then you need to figure out a way to "prove to yourself" that you can do the thing.
So, if I were given a sailboat and told to sail, the only way I would actually sail would be to "prove to myself" that I am a person who can sail. It is not enough for someone to tell me I can sail. I don't trust them, but I trust myself even less. I need to prove it. Once again, not to them, but to myself. As such, it would then be a necessity to create a list of challenges in increasing order of difficulty with the final task being whatever I deem "sailing" to be.
- Step 1: Define Sailing. It is usually useful to look for people who are widely recognized to be sailors here and just note what they do. Find books, other people have done this before you. Find mentors, for the same reason as before.
- Step 2: Once you have your definition, identify the component parts. Try to keep your layer of abstraction just right here. Don't get caught up in the nitty gritty.
- Step 3: What does it mean to be competent at each component? Create a challenge for yourself that directly tests that definition.
- Step 4: Drill each of the challenges until you are testably competent (using your challenges as the tests).
- Step 5: Perform an integration challenge. You are competent at each part now, are you competent at putting them all together?
- Step 6: Set sail dude.
This is what it takes when you don't trust yourself. It's also probably prudent when the thing you are attempting to do has some risk to it. If you didn't get it by now, sailing can be replaced with anything here.
If you are a sailor, please let me know if this process is what worked for you! lol
- quib