I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. – Pablo Picasso
When he started, nobody knew how to do this. Now you can learn about it in school. When you’re doing something new, you may be on your own.
What does that mean?
Well, that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? If you don’t know how to do something you don’t have too many options. You can sit there and do nothing, but that’s not very productive.
You can try to find someone who has done it before and learn from them. However, that only works if you’re a follower. For people like Picasso, who were out in front and on the cutting edge, there is no one to turn to for mentoring or guidance.
That leaves doing it anyway, expecting a bit of a mess, and then cleaning up the mess. By repeating the process, you eventually figure out how to best do it. Whether you’re inventing the light bulb or inventing a new style of painting, there really isn’t any replacement for experience. Do something, learn from the action, repeat and perfect.
Why is doing things important?
Well, the smart-blank answer is because if you don’t do things, then they won’t get done. However, it’s also the best answer I have, although it could be worded a little better. It’s part of the learning process. If you don’t do something, how will you learn from the experience?
Once we have some experience, we can start to draw conclusions, and start to notice patterns. From these, we can start to formulate new approaches or methods to try next time. In this manner, we eventually learn how to do it, as the quote says.
And that’s what doing is all about. It’s the first step in the process of learning. Without it, you’re not a participant. Without it, you’re not a leader. Without it, you not on the cutting edge. Without it, you’re just another couch potato, watching the game of life, instead of playing in it.
Where can I apply this in my life?
You already use it, even if you don’t think of it that way. I use it when cooking, as I’m not that great a cook (did I tell you about the time I actually burned water?). But that’s one of the primary ways we learn new skills, by doing and incorporating the results into the next attempt.
Any learning process is basically the same as this process. If you’re not on the cutting edge, you have the added option of finding resources to help you with your learning. Mentors, how-to books, videos, friends, and so many other ways to get help exist for those of us who follow.
But for me, half the fun is doing things which are new, different, or non-standard. While there are standard ways of doing things when repairing old cars, each one is unique, and substitutions or adaptations are required for many of these ways.
That is what makes it challenging, and to me, that also makes it fun. It’s a challenge, it’s a new puzzle to solve. But then, I’ve always liked to take things apart to see how they work. Sometimes I can even get them put back together again, without any spare parts!
Think about your life, and the things you have tried, even when you didn’t know how. Remember how you learned from each experience, and how you got better, at least until you quit. Or did you master it? Sometimes that is the result, if the prize remains worth the effort.
What I wanted you to remember is that you have used the method before. You have lived this quote many times in the past. You are fairly good at it, if you are like any of the people I know. I bet that isn’t what you thought when you first saw the headline, is it?
We are all doing and trying things which are new and exciting. Sometimes we can get help from others, other times, we’re on our own. But that’s how we learn. We do something, to the best of our abilities, then we take a look at the results, make adjustments and repeat until we achieve the desired results.
From: Twitter, @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/pablopicas107571.html
Photo by –Mike–
