The First 20 Hours - How to Learn Anything: Josh Kaufman

Today's video is a little long, but absolutely worth the time. If you like TED Talks then you'll love it. If you hate TED Talks...well, then you probably won't love it and might possibly hate it. BUT! But there is a really fun part at the end where the speaker demonstrates the skill he learned using his method: Playing the ukulele. You could just skip ahead to that part, I guess, if you want (12:30), but I really think this matter is interesting and worth watching, even if you aren't a fan of the format.

...Is that really how ukulele is supposed to be pronounced? Because I don't like it. And also I've been saying it wrong. Which doesn't change the fact that I don't like it.

PS: according to the first three results on YouTube when you search, "how to pronounce Ukulele", I've been saying it correctly after all. Thanks, YouTube! Just one of the many reasons that I love the internet.

TOP 7 FAILS OF HISTORY

Ah, vlogbrothers. It is possible I might have written about liking their videos before once. Maybe. In this video, watch Hank Green flail his arms and make us feel better about our failures. And teach us a little history. Yay, learning!

Brief flash across the screen at 2:07 - TOTALLY WORTH STOPPING FOR.

The Future Belongs to the Curious

I'm taking a couple courses on skillshare right now. So far it's pretty excellent. But this video? So awesome and true.

Impossible Goals and Epic Searches

Impossible Goals

If you've ever read anything about goal setting, you've no doubt heard about SMART goals.

SMART stands for Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely. Basically, if the research is to be believed, all of your goals should meet this criteria. For example, your goal shouldn't be "I want to loose weight" because it's not simple, there's no time frame for accomplishing it and how do you measure it? When do you know if you've accheieved this goal? How do you know when you're done? You don't. A better goal would be, "I want to loose 10 pounds by August 30." See how much better that is? You know when you're done and you can measure your progress along the way, which keeps you motivated. Studies have shown that you are much more likely to succeed.

Now, SMART goals have their place. In fact, 99% of your goals should be SMART goals. But there is also a place for impossible goals. I believe everyone should have at least one impossible goal. Something unattainable, but no less worth the pursuit of it.

My impossible goal is to Know Everything.

Knowing everything is, of course, impossible. But my quest for infinite knowledge will make me an overall better and more interesting person. So why shouldn't I strive for that?

It's not simple, there's no time line, I can't measure it and by it's very nature it's not attainable. That's no reason not to try.

Epic Searches

There's probably a better name for this, but I can't think of it, so I'm going with Epic Searches.

So I'll start with a story that's not really all that interesting, but best explains what I'm getting at here.

As I'm sure I've mentioned, I work in a call center. One day, we got an e-mail that that informed us right in the subject that there was a Fun new Contest!!! going on. This prompted me to explain to my cynically like minded co-workers one of the things in life that I completely love - Things That Have to Tell You They are Going to be Fun.

If something has to tell you it's going to be fun, chances are it's stupid. There is a 99% probability that you are going to roll your eyes at it. And do I ever love a good eye roll.

My favourite part of it, though, is that this fact goes completely over the head of marketers who slather the word fun all over the packaging of their new awful product or managers that assure their underlings that this contest/meeting/holiday party/team building retreat will, in fact, be fun.

Guys, you are not fooling anyone.

This all lead to a discussion on a related thing I love: Foods that, on the label, have to assure you they are in fact a food. Often, I'm sure, there is some kind of legal reason for this distinction, but still, it makes me laugh. Take for instance, Potted Meat Food Product. I first head about this product years ago on The Sneeze, when Steve Reviewed it (sort of?). The word Meat and the fact that it's likely located in the food isle should be enough to alert you to the fact that this is a food product and not some kind of horrifying joke. But there it is, right on the label, in case you weren't quite sure.

Now, I've never eaten Potted Meat Food Product, so I'm not making any judgements on it's tastiness or about the people that choose to eat it. I just don't think I want to put anything into my body that has to tell me explicitly that it is food. Unless society has collapsed and/or there are zombies. In the choice between eating a Food Product and starving to death...well, you know.

Now, on to the epic search. I am on a quest. Maybe not a quest. I don't know. Anyway. I am in search of the ultimate product label - One that both proclaims that it is Fun and a Food Product. It is my dream that some day I will find such a product, and it will be glorious. My life wont be complete or anything, but it will make me furiously happy. And isn't that what life's all about?

Let's attempt to tie this all together, shall we?

The thing about impossible goals and epic searches is that they ensure that your life always has meaning and direction.

...that's not really worded well. Life always has meaning and direction, but we can't always see it. Maybe you work in a job that you hate, and although you've been working hard to change this fact it hasn't been going great and now you're depressed and just want to hide in bed. Or maybe you have real problems that I can't even begin to comprehend. Even the mildest of depressions can make regular goals seem pointless and impossible. The very point of impossible goals is that, while impossible, they are still worth pursuing. And your epic search gives you hope that, possibly, just around the next corner is something so epic that you can't help but jump for joy.

And when life is good? Working toward impossible goals and searching for things that make this weird world of ours a more wonderful and perplexing place just make things even better. And there is nothing wrong with that.

My newest site

I am on a personal learning journey. Or something. I don't know. Anyway, I have a new site, where I'll be posting about my adventures in DIY Education.

Check it out: Dee Learns

Ten Silly Things

Sometimes, I get the urge to learn something silly and pretty useless. Usually, I just forget about it and move on, but no more. I've made a list, and I'm going to start checking things off.

10 Silly Things I'm Going to Learn to Do

1. One Awesome card trick
2. One easy magic trick
3. One magic trick that's a little bit harder
4. To Juggle with 3 Balls
5. How to Whistle using my hands (aka hand cooing)
6. Five origami things (Origami shapes? I don't know how to word this. You know what I'm talking about, right?)
7. Perfect the coin walk
8. How to Spin a Pen
9. Make three different Balloon Animals
10. To be able to sing along with the Song One Week by Barenaked Ladies (I know all the words, but do you think I can keep up? No, I can not. It drives me crazy)

Why Would I want to learn these so-called useless skills? First and foremost, for fun. Life is fun, and useless skills make it more fun. Also, a little bit to show off. Have you ever been shown an awesome card trick? Like, a really awesome one that you have no idea how it worked (one time, in high school, this guy showed me this card trick, where the cards he was looking for kept appearing under my hand. Which was flat down on the table...I still think there may have been some sort of sorcery involved)? That person, showing the trick, in that moment, is the coolest person in the room. To me at least. Maybe I'm just easily impressed. Whatever. Anyway, I want people to think I'm cool, or at least kind of interesting. And finally, every skill, useless or not, can help you in other areas of your life. A lot of my silly things will improve my hand/eye coordination, something that I have little of. Ta-da! A good reason to learn to juggle. For more on this, check out Why Useless Skills Matter at Happenchance.

Is there something you've always wanted to learn, but haven't because you thought it was useless? Or, do you have any "useless" skills perfected already?