This Skill Comfortably Creates Six-Figure Income
Where were you on April 8th, 2024 during the eclipse across North America? Were you in the path of totality? Were you at your desk in a meeting at work? Did you have the special eclipse glasses?
For me and my family, we were able to experience a partial eclipse while watching the NASA livestream and I don’t know about you, but I felt my inner child jumping out of my body in awe. We didn’t have eclipse glasses so I had to make quick work with my ‘scientist hat’ on to figure something out. Lo’ and behold, I used a metal colander to filter the sun through a piece of paper to essentially watch the shadow created by the partial eclipse and that was incredible!
Look closely at the filtered light in the center of the paper - partial eclipse!
There are those moments in time where we are shaken to our core - reminded how small each one of us are in the context of life, or the way we can feel energy shift knowing that millions of other humans are doing a variation of what you are doing in the exact moment, or the thrill of trying something new.
When is the last time you experienced, learned or put a newly learned skill to use? I was reminded of this Harvard Business Review article on being a lifelong learner. My favorite section of the article is the nudge to create a “to-learn list” and to calendar ‘learning time.’
What’s the latest new experience, or skill you’ve learned or are learning?
Maybe it’s the new recipe you nailed in the kitchen.
Maybe it’s you increasing your protein to better keep and build your muscle mass.
Maybe it’s you learning how to see the eclipse without looking directly on.
Maybe it’s you going to a new type of therapy to support your well-being.
We all have something worth sharing.
A quick reflection prompt for you:
Can you tap back into a different time in your life and a skill, job, or sport you dreamed of doing? What’s something you can do in the present that taps into that desire?
As a leader, supporting others around you in developing skills is important for their self-actualization (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs). When I was a young professional, I learned of the 70/20/10 learning model, and here’s a snapshot of it:
70% - on-the-job (OTJ) experience. Getting reps in, executing the skill, and being in the flow of the work skill is where the vast proportion of learning and hardening of skills will come from. Theoretical and academic theory of a skill or concept is certainly helpful to get overarching themes and nothing will beat being in the absolutely thick of it.
20% - social learning. This is the learning you can receive from mentors, guides, peers, teammates, and exposure to seeing the skill practiced live. I find this works best when stacked on top of OTJ experience more than in isolation. Partnering up with someone who has successfully accomplished what you are seeking to tackle OTJ can shave years off of your learning curve than doing it alone.
10% - formal education. This includes workshops, formal training experiences, etc.
Think about major areas of your life - personal, professional, community, health, etc. What is the newest skill you are developing? I want to hear.
Pick one thing you’d like to share out loud or inspire others with and share in the comments (should be blog comment area).
