| When I was in
school I learned to play the ukulele (more or less), when I had a need
to sing my children to sleep. I left it alone for years, and I found I
regained my ability within one day and was back playing as well as I did
in school, even though I hadn't touched one for over ten years.--remarkable!.
I have observed the same thing in playing bridge, golf, skiing, typing,
etc., etc. The key point here is the ability to get back to my previous
level of proficiency in a matter of hours or days, not a matter of starting
all over again.
The obvious strategy for getting satisfaction from an activity is to stick with it long enough (with good coaching) to become proficient at a level that satisfies you. Park it as long as you like. You can almost always go back to your previous level in a very short time. If you don't stick with something long enough to become proficient you will have no meaningful plateau to go back to at a future date, and when you go back to it you will be just as much an awkward beginner as you were before. It is satisfying in life to do a lot of things well. Play the piano,
sing, play golf or tennis, play cards well, dance, etc. It's a lifelong
investment. Do as many as you want. Get good enough, then park it, if
you wish, but get your plateaus up -- lots of them! |
© 2002 John D. Toellner
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