How to Learn New Skills

1. Teach a kid to ride a bike? Training wheels.
2. Teach a teen to ride a car? Passenger-side brakes.
3. Teach a father to change diapers? An extra pair of hands.

How do you learn new skills?

You do it like this:

1. Place a safety net.
2. Do.

Ta-frickin-da-da-da!

The Gymnastics Trick

Think of it this way:

1. A gymnast learns new tricks atop of cushy pillows.
2. If anything happens, she'll fall on those pillows.

Pillows = her safety net.

Thus, she's more inclined to try harder, stronger, crazier tricks.

Result: she becomes a more kickass gymnast.

Safety Nets = Magic

Without the pillows, folks stay inside their comfort zones.

For instance, the gymnast will stick with her skills without learning new tricks -- settling for mediocrity.

• "I'm too scared!" she'd scream.
• "I might fall!" she'd say.
• "I'll hurt myself! OH NOES!" she goes.

Yet, with a safety net, she becomes confidently the biggest badass in the world's history and its mama:

1. "I'm going to try some ridiculous moves."
2. "I'll challenge myself to see what I can do!"
3. "It'll be fun!"

At the end of one day playing atop her safety net, she learns freakishly-mother-frickin-of-the-freaker faster.

Oh, so much faster.

Crush Comfort Zones with Safety Nets

Humans psychologically avoid new experiences.

• We're fearful of what could happen.
• So, we avoid.
• And, we end up sucking.

By installing safety nets, you remove the risks/shame/embarrassment/pain/rejections/yaddas that could potentially occur.

For instance:

• Learning to manage? Coach youth sports.
• Learning to sell? Practice on mom-and-pops first.
• Teaching an employee to innovate? Don't criticize.

If you're scared of doing X:

1. Place safety net to remove fears.
2. Do.

You'll ramp up your skills ridiculously quickly.

Safety nets = Magic.

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