Tackling a new skill (or project, objective, etc.) break it up into small steps and achievable bits.

When I was on Jonny’s Partay (see below) Jonny asked use to compare trapeze lessons with getting better at public speaking.

From the moment I walked into my trapeze lesson to the very end of class each one of the three instructors was reviewing a simple chain of steps you need to take to complete a knee-hang, backflip dismount, and eventually a catch.

like a mantra, they recited: “left hand hold, hips forward, right hand reach, left hand reach, ready, hep, legs up, hands off, arch & reach, hands back, legs down, legs forward-back-forward, let go & grab knees, extend.” and by then you would be on the crash pad.

I never had to remember and reproduce the complex sequence on my own, even as it became familiar.

When you tackle a new skill, like public speaking, give yourself bite size pieces to master, support yourself with a step-by-step framework, and work with a net all you like. (Notecards or a written script can be a perfectly acceptable “net.”)

Oh and click more for the trapeze videos…

Silly nut tries to fly…

People who know what they’re doing…