business knowledge

Freebies to Use For Your Business: Latest Online Business Knowledge

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This month we’ve been looking at free resources to build your business with. The past two weeks, we’ve looked at ways that you can spruce up your content for free.

First we discussed stock photos and where you can get free ones. Of course, stock photos can be used to add flair to your blog posts and other media.

Next, we looked at non copyright music and how you can use that in your media as well.

This week, we’re changing things up a bit. We’re going mental. I’m giving you some of my favorite places to get “basically free” business wisdom.

I say it’s “basically free” because even if they have premium courses or memberships, they’re relatively inexpensive compared to what’s out there. I’m not including anyone that thas content that is specifically meant for as entries to their course or events. Those all tend to get a bit more expensive that a lot of people can afford. (So, no, I won’t be including Tony Robbins, Brendon Burchard, or John Maxwell in this specific list!)

 

Top 5 Favorite Online Business Figures:

This is a list of individuals who I listen to on a regular basis to keep up with trends, knowledge, and general awareness of the online entrepreneurial space. Sure, there might be plenty of names out there that do this as well, but these were the folks that had significant influence in my own entrepreneurial education.

Without them, I wouldn’t know or know about half the stuff that I do today.

 

  1. Pat Flynn

    I had to put Pat up first because he was the first one who introduced me to making real money online. Up until I found him, I knew of Google Ads, banners, and MLM’s. But as he started exploring this world, I followed along on his journey. I just wish that I had started on my own sooner!

     

  2. Gary Vaynerchuk

    Pat contributed his early work to a couple of people. Robert Kiyosaki, Tim Ferriss, and Gary.

    Gary’s first book, Crush It!, really helped Pat get started. While it was published in 2009, it still has a lot of very practical info. I actually read it the first week that Pat published his first podcast. Which, at the time, sounded so awesome and cool to me.

    Today Gary is kicking even more butt and has an even wider fan base. Having started Vaynermedia since then, he’s brought on a staff, and has started a few series on his YouTube channel: #AskGaryVee and #DailyVee

     

  3. Lewis Howes

    Probably one of my favorite early guests of Pat and another guy I’ve liked watching as he’s been building his business. When he started his podcast called the School of Greatness, I loved how it had examples of folks who had done their own thing. But he wasn’t focused on the how-to, he was all about the lifestyle aspect.

    Today he interviews folks such as Larry King, Wyclef Jean, and Cesar Millan!

    Amazing that he started his journey from his sister’s couch!

  4. Michael O’Neal

    Michael is someone I learned quite a bit from when he was on Pat’s show, so I figured I had to start paying attention to him as well. While i haven’t been following him as long as everyone else, I would say that his podcast is amazing. He reaches those niches that Pat hasn’t been able to go into via his podcast. He’s had some MLM folks on as well as investors.

    Also, Michael approaches interview as an artform that I really appreciate. His ability to be so natural on the mic is simply incredible.

     

  5. Tim Ferriss

    I didn’t really listen to Tim until recently. Yeah, that’s right… I know, I know!

    But hear me out. The reason I didn’t was because his conversations were so long. However, my guests kept saying that they loved his show, so I started paying attention myself. Now the long conversations that once turned me away are the reasons that I listen.

    From a podcaster’s perspective, like Michael, Tim is gifted on the mic as well. His long conversations get a lot more out of his guests then the more typical 30-45 minute conversations. That’s the one reason why I don’t try and keep my guests short – if they want to go on, they certainly can. If they want to keep to an our chat, there’s that option as well.

 

Top 5 Business Resources on the Web:

Sometimes, there’s more than just one person who runs an online business or organization. Whether I need new inspiration, or have a question that I actually need answered, here’s a list of five of my favorite resources from around the web.

 

  1. Fizzle

    For those of you have heard a few episodes of Angles of Lattitude podcast, you know that I’m a huge fan of Fizzle. There’s two main reasons. The first reason is because of their wide variety of video courses to help you go from point A to B in so many different topics. From as broad a topic as picking your own topic to learning how to book yourself solid with prospects and clients, to niching down even further to something like comparing video hosting services.

    It’s a ton of info that you might have to spend lots of time finding yourself or paying out the nose for elsewhere.

    The other reason is because the forum there, I believe, is full of folks who are actually doing something to move their business forward. Because they have to pay to play, they take things a bit more seriously. This means they actually have real experience you can tap into. I don’t think the same thing can be said about many of the groups you can find on Facebook. Some of them are simply too easy to get into and you have little to no idea if the person who’s giving the advice actually knows what they’re talking about!

    Anyhow, check them out, see what courses might be useful for you and get some of your questions answered in the forum. It’ll definitely be worth your while.

    Oh, and they have a podcast too!

     

  2. Art of Charm

    While Fizzle is good at teaching business skills, we should all realize that isn’t all there is to business. You have to have social skills as well. That’s where AoC picks up. Most people know of this group for their great podcast. And while the podcast is hosted by Jordan Harbinger, there is more to the AoC crew than him.

    Personally, I’ve learned enough through the show and Jordan to give myself some life hacks here and there. But you might consider actually attending their workshop sometime in LA if you really want or need to go deep.

     

  3. Social Media Examiner

    We’re all in the business of getting our story out onto the web to our potential clients, audience, and customers. Problem is, the tools to do that are always changing. What worked last year might not work next year. What started off as a one man show has changed over time to what it is today – the forefront explorer of all things social.

     

  4. TED

    If you’re not familiar with TED, then you should definitely take a look. Just about all major thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and educators have been in a TED or TEDx presentation. My favorite three talks of all time on there are done by Mike Rowe, Tony Robbins, and of course, Simon Sinek.

     

  5. Khan Academy

     Most people would initially think that Khan Academy is for students between middle school and college. For the most, they’d be right. However, they actually have lessons for entrepreneurs as well! One of stories on there is from Elon Musk – do definitely something to check out if you like founder stories.

 

Action Steps:

So these are the basically free resources that I get a lot of my “business awareness” from these days.

If you ever need inspiration, more surface level knowledge on a certain business subject, or simply want some good words of wisdom, then these folks are all good ones to know.

Let me know below some of your favorite general business knowledge people!

habits of success

Clay Green: Make it Happen – 3 Habits To Help You Get What You Really Want (AoL 078)

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Many of us have heard many times the actual steps to being successful. In fact, I’ve wrote about many of these topics in blog posts here at New Inceptions. They include:

  • Reading and/or learning from others who have what you want regularly.
  • You should plan regularly to get what you want.
  • Reflect as much as possible – Daily, weekly, Monthly, Yearly.
  • Appreciate what you have because doing the opposite is what we’re used to and it’s a big reason why so many of us have negative attitudes.

The list goes on.

In today’s episode, co-host of AoL and founder of EnthusiatiCLAY, Clay Green, shares with us his three top habits. These habits include much of what we need to do to achieve long term success.

And we’ve heard people talk about them before.

In this podcast, however, he takes it to the next level. He actually shares proof in why we should be doing these three things.

I also ask him some in depth questions that lead to a great conversation as well.

This is his silver edition, so if you want his background, you can find out more about him in session 46.

As always, thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How we got started in this talk. 6:25
  • How’s his trek going throughout the country going? 8:15
  • What’s the first step to building your own belief? 12:16
  • How do you build your belief circle? 18:02
  • How do you start listening to your own internal voice of what you actually want? 26:50
  • The three habits which can change your life. 21:30
  • Why meditation is important to so many successful people. 31:40
  • Why gratitude is essential to long lasting success. 43:14
  • The hardest thing he’s ever had to say no to. 46:46
  • One thing that cost under $100 that has changed his life. 48:41
  • What’s the smallest decision he’s made that has had the largest impact on his life? 49:30
  • What is one thing all high school students must know? 53:31
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 56:58
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

First Tour of Clay’s Trailer:

View of the Garage of Clay’s Trailer:

Followup thoughts on today’s interview:

Enjoying Life:

meditation is a habit of success
belief is a huge part of success
get anything you want
to get what you want you need to think selfishly

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

podcasting trends

CJ Ripka on the History, Future, and Trends of Podcasting – It’s Raw and Real! (AoL 077)

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Podcasts are one of the most used ways to get your message out there. Whether it’s for fun, you’re syndicating as a radio show, or you’re using it to deliver content for your business, podcasts are gaining popularity all the time.

For me, I’ve been listening to them since 2010 and producing them since 2013.

However, today’s guest, has a heck of a lot more experience in this world than I do. In fact, he’s been around the media a good part of his life.

In this chat with Chris (aka CJ Ripka on his podcast Raw and Real), I wanted to find out more about the medium itself.

Where it came from, why it’s called a podcast, ways people are being successful with it today, and some of the things he believes are in the not too distant future for the medium.

As usual, I also find out how he got the wealth of knowledge he has. If you have similar interests and you love podcast tech, then hopefully it will shed some light on what your next steps might be!

As always, thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • When did Chris get into media production? 5:48
  • Where did the interest come from in working with media? 8:30
  • How did he start with podcasting? 12:16
  • What’s his thoughts in there being different perspectives in how podcasting production should be done? 13:48
  • Where the term podcasting come from? 17:10
  • Who are some of the early podcasters that are still around? 21:30
  • Why Chris believes that some of the niches that exist in podcasting are going to dissolve soon. 25:15
  • What are some things that any podcaster should think about and/or consider when they want to tweak their show? 27:56
  • What are some ways to build a larger audience? 31:54
  • Who is one of the more memorable guests that Chris has had on his live stream show, Raw and Real? 33:02
  • What’s going on in the rest of 2017 for Chris? 35:06
  • Who are three influencers who have helped him get where he is? 37:20
  • What is the hardest thing that he’s ever had to say no to? 39:55
  • What would be something you’d find in Chris’ edition of the Creative Entrepreneur’s Handbook? 40:28
  • What advice does he often hear adults giving to children that he calls bs on? 41:21
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 42:12
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Raw and Real Episode 3 with Dr. Rob Garcia:

Current Facebook Live Format interview with Rob:

Chris is Interview by Dennis Langlais of the Five Minute Bark Podcast

Finding Your Place After the Military Interview:

how old is podcasting
where did the name podcast come from?
nothing happens over night
national guard production engineer

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

healing therapy

Rinna Mai: Finding Harmony in Healing – How Music Lead to a Journey in Integrative Healing Therapy (AoL 075)

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Pains and sores are something that many of us have to put up with. In our day to day work, we find ourselves doing repetitive tasks that lead to these chronic pains.

Athletes are notorious for getting these sores. Artists as well.

Many times, they, like us, learn to put up with those pains that we get over time.

But that’s not the way it has to be, according to today’s guest.

After developing her own pains from playing instruments, Rinna Mai decided that she had to find out was going on.

She soon developed a method to deal with her pains. Soon, others wanted her to work on them.

The more people wanted her help, the more she sought after new knowledge.

Today, Rinna finds herself going into medical school so that she can help people heal on all levels.

Daniel and I talk with her to find out more about her journey, what advice she has for folks with migraines, and why in the world she would put herself through a college career in her late 20’s.

As always, thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What kind of formal education did Rinna have growing up? 7:19
  • Why’s it important for the teacher and student to have the same vision? 14:53
  • What kind of support did Rinna have in pursuing her music and healing work? 18:54
  • How did her career get kicked off in her healing work? 29:08
  • After her success in her healing work, why did she go back for a doctorate in her mid 20’s? 40:00
  • What are some ways of dealing with migraines that anyone who has them can try? 47:57
  • What’s her experience been like going back to school in her late 20’s? 59:47
  • How did she get back into music and teaching it? 1:01:40
  • Who are here top 3 favorite influencers or teachers? 1:09:14
  • What are her 3 Favorite top books she tells others about? 1:13:07
  • One gift she likes giving others? 1:14:43
  • One thing all high school students must know? 1:16:12
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their own community? 1:18:04
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Reiki Treatment Session:

Cortiva Institute Massage Demo:

Julia Cameron on Morning Pages:

Gabor Maté: The Power of Addiction and The Addiction of Power:

education reform
energy healing
integrative healing
migraine cure

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

John Powell

John Powell: Leave All Excuses at the Door: How to Embrace the Truth About Who We Are (AoL 068)

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This is the time of year when people are either making New Year’s resolutions or planning out their next year – especially if they’re a creative.

However, you might find yourself in a situation where you’re not entirely comfortable with where you are in life so making plans might be the last on your mind.

Well, the truth is that if you’re not making plans to succeed, you’re automatically going to fail.

So how can you get started if you’re not sure where your inner self wants to go?

In our chat with today’s guest, John Powell, we discuss this and much more, including his book My Journey, My Truth.

At first glance, it might seem that the book is all about him – but it’s much more than that. It’s actually about the reader.

You see, John has gone through many struggles in his life and now finds himself helping many people with many of the same struggles.

The book shares quite a bit of what he’s learned through the years through the hardships that he’s had to go through.

In this interview we also discuss the creation of the Expert Community as well as why he loves coaching so much.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What’s the purpose of the Expert Community? 6:51
  • Where did the inspiration of his book, My Journey, My Truth came from? 9:29
  • Has transparency always been a strength for John? 13:33
  • What would people that have already overcome difficulties in their life be able to get from his book? 15:41
  • What was it like for John to write the book? 17:42
  • How he knew he was done with all the edits of the book. 21:36
  • What was the hardest part of the book to write about? 23:19
  • What made John get into coaching? 27:17
  • Who does John like to coach? 28:59
  • What would John say to those folks who are stuck after the age of 25 and want to build some momentum? 31:22
  • John’s thoughts of the broken schooling system. 34:40
  • Does he have a process of helping people get out depression since he’s been there a couple of times? 40:03
  • What is John looking forward to in 2017? 42:22
  • Three top favorite books or movies he tells others about. 45:13
  • One gift John likes giving others. 47:05
  • Something that he believed when he was 25 but doesn’t now. 47:56
  • Who’s the most awe inspiring person he’s ever met? 52:31
  • Who comes to mind when he thinks of the word success and why? 55:05
  • What are 4 steps to a better future? 56:30
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Vincent Van Gogh visits his work in the Gallery:

Les Brown on Learning to Trust Yourself and Pursue Your Dreams:

Lindsey Stirling interviewed by Larry King:

Tony Robbins on Building Lasting Change:

john powell

Thank You For Sharing Some Time With Us!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

millionaire marketing

Debra Jason: A Glimpse into Millionaire Marketing and Breakthrough Copywriting (AoL 064)

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Most of us are doing who are working for ourselves have a passion for it or it’s just a talent that we can monetize. Just like we have our strengths, we also have our weaknesses.

For many solopreneurs, marketing can be a weakness. I know I’m always trying to figure out what I can do better in improving my ability to connect with more people.

To me, the “feel” of connection is really important in achieving true success in a business. I feel that the best marketing is done by coming from a place of simply adding value to others.

Sometimes, though, it’s hard to express that value in a way that motivates your potential clients from seeking you out for help.

That’s where today’s guest, Debra Jason, focus is at.

Having started in the catalog publishing business, she has taken what she’s learned from there and has helped many people nationally and internationally say what they mean in a way that moves people to take action. She’s also the author of the book, Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget in which she covers items like improving your blog following, how to get fewer spam complaints, and other basic fundamental strategies that will motivate your audience to take action.

If you’re looking to improve the way you connect with people about what you have to offer, then this is chat will definitely help you out.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How did she get into writing in the first place? 6:47
  • Was she able to use her college degree after graduating? 8:54
  • How did Debra get into copywriting? 10:51
  • When did Debra realize she could help other people with their copywriting? 13:14
  • What was the trigger in starting the Write Direction? 15:45
  • What are some marketing fads that she’s seen come and go over the years? 19:27
  • How quickly did she jump onto the internet marketing train? 22:42
  • What kinds of things have changed since she transferred to an internet focus? 25:01
  • How often does she send out emails to her followers and what how does she know what to send? 27:47
  • How did her book “Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget” come about? 34:49
  • What are some of the things that someone can learn from her book? 41:19
  • How to craft a magnetic marketing message by filling in the blanks of a formula. 46:55
  • What to blog about when you don’t know what to blog about. 50:44
  • Couple of things that she’s looking forward to in the not too distant future. 58:59
  • One thing that costs under $100 that has changed her life? 1:04:00
  • Smallest decision she’s made that has had the greatest impact on her life was? 1:04:58
  • Something she believed as a 30 year old and now considers false and why? 1:05:49
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Adam Fout interviews Debra on building a Robust LinkedIn Profile:

Debra interviews Sabrina Risley:

Debra interviews Bob Burg:

Presentation for the Referral Partnership group in Boulder:

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

4 levels of learning

The 4 Levels of Learning – The Secret to Hacking New Skills

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McDonald’s just mentioned this past week that they’re going to be introducing automation to their restaurants in a big way this next year.

I shared it on Facebook and the overwhelming thought process is that the world is moving to a more and more automated society.What does this mean for people who work the jobs that are affected by automation?

Well, here in Indiana, it’s meant that many of those displaced workers have had to go to school and get taught a new set of skills for a changing economy.

In this post, I’m going to share with you the 4 Levels of Learning and how we all should navigate them to master our new skills.

Why This is Important

You might be thinking, “JC, I know if I know something or not. Why do I need labels?”. The truth is that you might not need labels.

But some of us – me included – want to decipher the world that’s going on around us. I like to categorize people by their personalities, their strengths, their age, and their education level because I know that each one of those things will tell me a little about where they’re coming from.

That’s just one example of breaking down a complex system into smaller ones. It helps me relieve stress in trying to figure out where people are coming from. With those labels, I kind of know what to expect.

Same thing is true when it comes to labeling where you are in your learning journey. It helps you realize where you are in your process so you know whether or not you have more things to learn or if you’re ready to help other people know what you know – if that’s your type of thing. 🙂

So, let’s get started:

Level 1: A grandson getting to see what biking is all about.

Level 1: Unconscious Incompetence

Do you remember the first time that you found out that something existed and you had to find out more about it? Probably not. When was the last time? Probably today, huh?

That state that you were in before you found out that thing existed was you being unconsciously incompetent. In other words, you didn’t know what you didn’t know.

In this state, you might have a sense of wonder, awe, and excitement – just like the grandson in the image to the right.

 

Level 2: Starting out on his first bike ride

Level 2: Conscious Incompetence

Ok, so you know this entire new world exists now of this new thing. Let’s say it’s riding a bike.

You might have seen all the big kids do it in your neighborhood. Heck, they might have been doing tricks on them.

As you start trying to start to ride a bike, you realize that you can’t even keep the damn thing up – let alone jump.

There’s just so much to learn and to do.

The thing with this phase is to know that you’re going to suck for awhile. You might even hate it and stress out a bit.

Learning to pedal and steer on training wheels all the way up to learning to keep balance. These were all things we had to learn to ride.

But in retrospect as someone who’s learned to ride now, you realize that you needed to “embrace the suck” in learning to ride a bike.

How many times did you fall off your bike when you were learning to just ride it?

I know I started laughing so hard everytime I fell off. I didn’t know what hurt more – my chest from laughing or my stomach from getting hit from the handlebars! 🙂

 

Level 3: A more seasoned vet saves himself from a spill.

Level 3: Conscious Competence

After enough practice, things to get a bit more fun. You’ll begin to realize that you know the basics of what you’re doing and you’re aware of what’s going on.

When I was learning to ride my bike, I didn’t really care about doing jumps. I just wanted to learn to ride FAST! Once I figured that out, I then wanted to get better at using my gears to get up hills better. Later, as I picked up riding again in college, it was going down small stairs and popping small hops to get on sidewalks.

In your situation, it might take you a shorter time than a year plus to figure out your new skill. It might take you more time. Again, it depends on how often you practice your skill (once a week vs 10 days straight) and how focused you are when you’re doing it.

 

Level 4: A young master working on his craft.

Level 4: Unconscious Competence

By the time you reach level 4, you’ve hit a certain level of mastery of the skill. You might not have everything down, but you’ve learned enough that new people are coming to you because you just seem to have the answers. Your skill is really just a part of who you are at this point.

In the biking example, I can think of the process it took me to learn how to ride, but that process was over many years as I needed to learn bits here and there. As I was learning them, I wasn’t thinking of the process it took me to get to that point.

All masters have this problem.

That’s why I say you should make it a usual practice to meet and engage with people who are just one or two steps ahead of you. They can teach you things better than if you were talking with a master. In fact, that’s exactly why, I’ve had to tune out Pat and other experts more recently. It’s not that I don’t think they know what they’re talking about. It’s simply that they’re so far up in their experience that they’ve gone into what I call “professor mode”. Thankfully Pat still explains things now in 2016 like he always has, but I’d really like to be talking to 2011 Pat as he was discovering things that I’m discovering myself today. Thankfully that Pat is still available in the archives (via the Wayback Machine.)

Bonus! Level 5: Shared Competence

You might have heard that the quickest and easiest way to learn something is to try and teach it to someone else. I heard this all the time as I was going through college and it wasn’t really until my first time as a lab TA that I found out what this really meant. I was used to teaching my friends who were closer to me in skill, but when it came to teaching freshman students, wow – there was definitely a difference!

If you are trying to become an expert in a field or someone who is trying to teach to others how to do something, you’re going to have to break down what you already know into steps your audience can follow. The higher your expertise, the trickier that’s going to become.

That’s why the best way to do it is to think of a transformation you want someone to go through and then make a 5 to 7 step process that they’ll make that transformation in.

That way, you’ll have it in small enough bites that the new person doesn’t get mind blown by all there is to know and you’ll be able to keep on eye on their progression easier.

How would you teach someone to ride a bike? What would those 5 steps be?

Action Steps:

So I hope that this process gives you a little more of an understanding of where you are in learning your new skill in whatever it is that you’re learning to do.

I think if you know that these are all part of doing something new, then you’ll probably have less stress about the small stuff… (unless you’re in engineering in college. Than it’s always going to suck until you graduate! Lol. jk!) Having less stress about learning something new will empower you to embrace who you are even more and just take things in stride a bit more.

Below I’d love to hear from you guys where you’re at in your journey of learning a new skill. Have you learned to embrace the suck? Do you find it hard to explain certain things to newbies? Let me know!