At one point, I asked Dad to teach me how to knit. My first project was some uneven potholders for my mom. They were yellow. Of course, Mom loved them.
Eventually, wanting to do follow more intricate patterns, I bought a book on how to knit.
I was having a difficult time understanding one of the steps for a sweater and asked for advice.
The girl at the knitting store told me that I was holding my yarn and needles in the wrong hands. I was basically knitting backwards.
How creative of me, right? 🙂
Then she proceeded to show me how to do it right.
I was so clumsy and it was taking me so much concentration I thought I would just continue doing it wrong. But this lady insisted that I needed to learn to hold the needles this way.
I was annoyed at having to change what was technically working.
Many of us balk at learning new things. Especially if we are basically getting the outcome we want.
Two weeks later I couldn’t believe the speed at which I was knitting. Not only that, I didn’t even have to look at my hands anymore and could knit while watching TV while only occasionally looking down.
I was astonished at what a difference it made to master this person’s technique!
With my computer programs, I’m seeing that it’s like I’m back in the knitting store.
Lately people have been telling me I need to use different programs on my computer. But I HATE learning new technology. (Sorry if I sound a little whinny.)
Groan, email, designing pages… grumble
I balked at it for the last year, but here I am remembering those knitting needles. I think it’s time to bite the bullet and just learn to do it. After all, if I shave 5 hours a week on email responses, or can get a new page up in an hour instead of a day… time is money!
What about you? Have you procrastinated trying something different only to be surprised at the benefits when you finally (yet begrudgingly) did it?
Any funny stories? I hope you’ll share them!
Bio
Monique works with organizations or people who want to reduce conflict to create a culture of collaboration, engagement and productivity. The most successful leaders are not infallible when faced with someone who “drives them crazy!” Her strategies to empower people to better understand each other and have better outcomes, while having fun, are appreciated by all who meet her. She draws from 30 years of crisis intervention and mental health work, she is a Level II Accredited Trainer for DISC as a Human Behavior Consultant and a Certified NLP Professional Coach. She loves meeting people and getting to know them and their industry. So feel free to reach out.