Learning new things as an adult is hard.

When I was younger I played a variety of different sports and learned to play the clarinet.

The goal for these things was never to turn these into a profession, but rather, as a way to make myself “stand out” on college applications and appear more “well-rounded”.

When I got into college, my new focus was strictly academics where I was constantly hit with new challenges. However, once I graduated and entered the workforce, those challenges suddenly came to close.

I felt that there were stints of new challenges at work but then eventually I would understand and then I would be in search for a new challenge again.

My career as a software engineer was fueled by my chase for something new which led to my eventual burnout.

As I spent the majority of this year recovering from burnout, I came to this final realization:

Work doesn’t have to be the only thing that’s challenging

Coming to this conclusion, led me to embark on this new journey of discovery. I began to ask myself, “what are things that you want to learn?” and “what are new ways that you can challenge yourself that don’t tangentially relate to what you’re doing now”

Fast forward to now, I can confidently say I have found new ways to challenge myself outside of work and it has led me to feel a more balanced, less-anxious life.

As I continue to develop and invest in my current hobbies, I am also looking ahead to see what else I want to learn and when I want to carve out time to learn them.

Learning new things as an adult is hard but learning they’re three things that I recommend you keep in mind that make learning less of a stressor and more enjoyable:

Tip #1: Lower your expectations and get rid of any assumptions

Oftentimes we assume that certain things will be easier or harder based on prior or experiences. That usually leads to disappointment when things end up being harder or more of a challenge than you though. By reducing your expectations, you can assume that it’s going to take some time and just enjoy the time again.

Tip #2: Be okay with just sucking

In school, you’re always praised for being good and shamed for being bad. As a result, a lot of us struggle with this fear or failure. The truth of the matter is, when you start something, you’re going to be bad at it. It’s apart of the journey and it’ll make the moment when you’re no longer bad at it all that more special.

Tip #3: Start to envision yourself being good at it

Envisioning your success can be all the motivation you need to keep going. Start dreaming of the day when you can do or create the thing that you’ve always wanted to and know that this moment is helping you work towards that.

Making intentional efforts to learn new things as an adult has made me realize new things about myself and given me a newer sense of confidence and strength. I’m finding joy in the journey.