The new site is officially LIVE!!! That is, if I don’t screw something up soon…

You’ll notice right away that the header is different...

Now that's some serious changeeeee!

Stylistically and functionally it may seem about the same, but looks can be deceiving. Expect some new additions soon.

I must admit, this has been a technical nightmare having to switch my website over from a different web-builder.

Since its inception I have been building the site between two separate web platforms. Unfortunately, the functionality between them has been anything but seamless. So I had to make a choice: Continue building essentially two different sites that would never get along? Or murder one of them and let the other seize power? I went with the latter.

Now the site will live happily ever after (hopefully).

Yeah, I know, this isn’t a website building blog. I’m sharing this because through this technical struggle, I’ve learned an important lesson that applies to learning any new skill, including public speaking!

Consider the following the next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by an influx of information that comes with learning a new skill:

Mull It Over and Absorb...

When you first start digging into a new skill, it may seem like a pipe dream. If not right away, rest assured, you will come up against something that makes you ask “what did I get myself into?”

Just like you shouldn’t make any rash decisions when you’re mad as a goat, likewise you shouldn’t make a decision on whether or not to give up while you’re feeling overwhelmed or technically overmatched.

Take that first day to mull over the new information. Try your best to fully understand it, even to the point of it feeling that you don’t stand a chance in hell at figuring it out. Then go to bed.

Wake up the very next day and have another go at it. Depending on how advanced it is, you may have to do this several times. But without a doubt, it will get easier and start to make more sense to your stubborn brain.

Think of it like this:

When you go to the beach when there’s overcast, and the water is borderline freezing, you ease your way in. Maybe you start with just your feet, then up to your waist, and THEN finally dunk your remaining flesh.

Once you do that, your body gets used to it and you can even begin to enjoy it. That’s how the brain processes a new skill. The brain is a problem-solving machine and sometimes it requires layers of familiarization before it can start to decipher the code. By layers I mean gathering information. Connecting the dots. Gathering more information. Connecting the dots. And so on.

When you give up on a new skill, rarely is it because you’re incapable of learning it. It rests squarely on choice—your choice to persist.

I had never built a website before Tactical Talks and now I’ve built 4 others since. Once difficult, now doable.

Can skills be acquired such as overcoming the fear of public speaking? You and I wouldn’t be here sharing this thought if it weren’t.

It’s a matter of wetting your feet, then your knees, then your junk, and finally dunking your head. What skill are you going to own next?