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Unchain the wheels of your talent.   Little moments of practice.  Keep it greasy.

Unchain the wheels of your talent. Little moments of practice. Keep it greasy! Photo from unprofound.com.

Sometimes some skills seem so far away and our lives are so busy that it may seem like it is impossible to attain certain talents.  Japanese? French?  Arabic?  Guitar?  Coding? Farfegnoogin?  Fuggetaboutit?

But lately I’ve been taking advantage of little opportunities for practice and instead of thinking I’ve got to have it all at once, I’m telling myself, “I’m putting a bookmark here” and then just letting go.  I’m still a “private dancer”  as far as guitar goes, but the days of staying away from the guitar now seems a little foreign to me.  I ain’t makin’ no promises to you, or even myself.  I’m just moving the bookmark a little each day and yes, having some fun.

It’s all part of not breaking the neural chain, man. (hippie voice)  One of the key components of little moments of practice is that they work with the way the brain works.  As books like The Talent Code and The Little Book of Talent point out little moments of practice keep the neural  pathways greased.  The phrase you practiced yesterday becomes more natural and may even enter long term memory.  You want a learning affirmation from me?  “Keep it greasy.”

The beauty of it all is that you will either keep a bookmark in that talent until more time opens up or by taking one small action every day realize that the impossible goal is within your reach.   In other words those little bookmarks of five minutes will remind you that your targeted area is important and/or will become the opening wedge that will lead you to hours of practice and progress.

Who can eat just one french fry?  Keep getting greasier and greasier.