it must be done.

“But I can just learn that on YouTube” That’s a common idea, one I’ve for sure executed myself, when trying to learn something new. It could be a new skill, a hobby, some form of art or workout routine. And it’s true, the internet is where your teacher is getting their information from. Here’s one overlooked reason to try learning locally instead of virtually.

FAILURE
Have you watched a cooking tutorial where the chef explains the wrong way to sear a salmon? Or read a how-to article where the first fifteen steps are failed experiments on a dove tail joint? That would be a waste of time. Especially if just looking for a quick answer. But learning a skill or an art form is not about quick answers, it’s problem solving. The people who made that content went through those challenges. Mistakes, problems, and failure are part of the process.

What exactly do I mean by failure? I teach music lessons one-on-one every day. When I say failure here, I mean forgetting what key a song is in mid-recital. Losing the count half way through a drum fill. Having the lyrics slip away right before the chorus. All in front of a live audience. These moments I prize more than any as a teacher, because after the fall I can tell the student: “You did great! You did your best, you finished the song.” And they still get the applause! Failure is scary, but not deadly. It might even be healthy. Learning to deal with these “awkward” moments teaches that a healthy community supports hard work. That everyone has been there. And, it keeps people from complete, total failure: giving up something new, challenging, and worth while.

Failure is not a waste of time. It is traveling forward. The internet is not known as a place where people choose to post their failures, their tried attempts, their aborted projects. Sure, maybe a brave honest few choose to learn and experiment in public, but most experts on a subject will place themselves in the “best light”. So, an important is lesson is missed for those who are just picking a new thing up: how to deal with the “worst light.”

Finding a good teacher, coach, tutor, or group in the community is a great way learn something new and a great life skill: getting over fear of failure.