💡 How to Learn Any Skill (like salsa dancing)

My struggle to learn salsa dancing taught me a lot more than salsa, it taught me a simple way to make learning anything more enjoyable.

I’m waiting for someone, thanks though.

On to the next person.

Ahh I’m good, thanks.

And again.

Alright, sure.

Finally!

We step out onto the dance floor as a Marc Antony song plays.

I spin her right into a ‘dile que no’ and the next 3 and half minutes we have a blast.

No one thought the gringo from Chicago knew how to dance.

Not long before that, I didn’t either.

This moment took a looong time to reach.

The Pain That Led to Action

When I first moved to Miami in 2016, I was at a bar when a salsa song came on.

Everyone grabbed a partner and headed to the dance floor.

Standing there with a beer in my hand I watched them smile as they spun around to the rhythm of the song.

I’ll never forget my thoughts at that moment.

Damn, I NEED to learn how to dance!

My first salsa class I felt like I didn’t belong.

So often I left frustrated; I always compared myself to the best guys in class.

How can I ever compete with these Latin guys who were born with salsa in their blood?

It turned out I didn’t need to compete with them at all.

Success Comes on Your Own Terms

Do you know that feeling when you want something so bad?

And you get crazy creative about how to achieve it?

That was me. I became obsessed.

I listened to salsa playlists all day while working, commuting, at the gym, in the shower.

My roommate and I devoured hours of salsa videos on YouTube.

I befriended all the salsa instructors and asked to go out dancing with them on the weekends.

But the biggest change for me was mental.

• Why was I trying to be the best technical dancer?

• What if I could be one of the most fun dancers?

• And what if I compared myself to…myself?!

Comparing where I was to level 0 was way more satisfying than comparing to the level 90s in class.

Ladies and gentlemen…

These breakthroughs turned me into a Salsero.

____________________________

Learning salsa was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

But it was so much more enjoyable once I learned how to learn.

I discovered this process totally on accident.

But anyone can use this to learn almost anything faster.

The ICE Method

Immersion - Fill your senses with the topic you wish to learn. Whether it’s learning French or real estate investing, find podcasts, videos, books, tutors, or clubs.

Get around people who live it and breathe it. People love sharing what they love, especially to eager learners, so bring enthusiasm. Being in a community is one of the quickest ways to learn.

Compare - People say not to compare, but that’s against our human nature. Use this to your advantage and compare the you now to the you before. Look back 5 years ago at your Spanish, cooking, or yoga skills.

If you’re embarrassed at how you used to be, that means you’ve been learning. That’s more productive than constantly feeling behind, chasing a role model instead of being inspired by them.

Expectations - This is the #1 cause of frustration, anger, and disappointment. But having expectations is also part of our nature, so use this to your advantage too. Don’t expect to be the best right way; expect to be the most dedicated, enthusiastic, fun, creative…

Notice how all of those are subjective? This allows you to enjoy the learning process and stay consistent. Chances are if you enjoy it and are consistent, you’ll eventually become one of the best anyway.

Learning is nice when you do it with ICE.

The Bottom Line

Leaving your skill development to randomness is the path to mediocrity.

Like an adventure, learning can be challenging and you’ll feel lost at times.

But having a simple method like ICE is like having a map in your hands.

My challenge for you this week is to identify a hobby or skill that you’ve been thinking about for awhile. Is it a foreign language, public speaking, running, or coding?

Take the next step. Sign up for lessons, find the tutor, read the first chapter, or run the first mile.

Leave your thoughts on Twitter

Complementary Call

If you’re craving more adventure in your own life, be it related to health, career, or relationships, there’s no better time than now to embark. Grab a time to chat —> here.

Recommended Exercise

Skill stacking is a well-known method to reach the top 10%. I give this assignment to my coaching clients, but it’s yours free to download —> here.

That’s all for now my fellow adventurer.

👉 If you know someone who would love perspective and stories like these, please forward this email or share this link with them to check out past issues: https://jimwall.beehiiv.com/

📢 Next week’s issue is about how, with limited PTO and a tough boss, my unusual proposal won me an unforgettable 3-week backpacking trip to Southeast Asia 🇹🇭🇰🇭.

Keeping living your Great Adventure.

Jim Wall