You may even call it a tutorial purgatory of sorts. It’s that first part of a new adventure where you have access to limitless resources, courses, videos, playlists, material, information, discord channels, twitter handles to follow, books, podcasts- get the idea? The irony is that we often start these journeys of by laying out and planning our lofty goals and what the finish line looks like. Tag Adam Clear into this picture and you would have a MUCH different (and more effective) approach which is focused more on processes, systems, cues, and habits. Perhaps a post for another time.

In my life, tutorial purgatory typically consists of starting an exciting new hobby (currently it’s programming), building out an awesome roadmap to achieve some semblance of competency in a reasonable amount of time, stopping to consider alternate paths,, starting something tangential (i.e. changing the programming language I decide to learn, JS -> Python), stopping, and then rinsing and repeating until you’ve put in a ton of effort and essentially gotten nowhere.

Add in a sprinkle of UDemy courses, Youtube playlists, podcasts, books, and a host of other really qualified content that does absolutely nothing for progress if it does not beget action. And that is where the rubber has failed to hit the road with meaningful force.

I digress.

I’m back at it and adding a new ingredient to the recipe and it can be a potent one if performed well . . . public accountability. This entails frequent write-ups to explore the mental battles, the success of setting up habit cues, the off days where I put in suboptimal effort, and everything in between. What’s working and what isn’t. A public diary that everyone can relate to (or perhaps not — — which is a good thing I suppose?).

Full disclosure: I’ve already ran into a shiny object this week. I love the creative visuals coming out from guys like Jack Butcher @ https://visualizevalue.com/ and Janis Ozolin at https://ozolinsjanis.com/ and all of a sudden I find myself wondering what my content would be like with some creative illustrations. YouTubing tutorials of Figma, wondering if I should buy those courses, only to look back at my Patrick Collins Youtube Course on Blockchain, Solidty, and Web3 ( https://youtu.be/gyMwXuJrbJQ — HIGHLY recommend) and feel disappointed that I’ve yet to hit the play button ONCE today.

There are good rabbit holes (programming, literature, journaling, espresso, etc) and then there are shiny objects disguided as rabbit holes (ancillary skills to what you’re trying to accomplish, additional resources and tutorials, etc).

Avoid the latter at all costs. Who’s with me?

So back to why my dead-end journey of coding is OK? Because it’s all of the meta-skills I’ll be growing along the way and what this skill represents. It’s a challenging endeavor, requires consistent effort, provides plenty of opportunity to learn how to deal with frustration, exposes you to the pitfalls of chasing BSO’s (Bright Shiny Objects), and is a LONG-game without any guarantee of an ROI.

This almost sounds abysmal . . . but to me these are the skills that then unlock just about anything else I want to learn and implement. If I can master the ability to create atomic habits, deploy creative juices at will and no wait for the lazy Muse to visit, and ultimately embrace the process regardless of outcome — I’ve won.

Ultimately this is why my coding journey, while it may never lead to an actual career pivot or any impressive projects I can ship for profits, will still pay off dividends. I’m just assuming and expecting them to be in non-quantifiable ways.

Here goes nothing !

Originally published at https://www.davegabriele.com on January 12, 2023.

Imposter syndrome has us asking ourselves, “Who am I to teach others about Javascript or the beauty of a eloquently written sentence in a story?”

The infinite information available to anyone with internet access has us asking ourselves, “What can I offer that isn’t already polished and published by someone else?”

Let’s assess the meta-benefits of teaching others as we learn, ignore the reasons NOT to do it, and maybe…just maybe, at the end of this article you will join me in the journey of teaching as you learn.

The case for teaching…

Not only does teaching to learn justify itself for the sake of learning but also, and perhaps even moreso, it is a subtle way to enact action. By definition you’re going to have to first learn what you’re going to teach, which means studying, practicing, and diving in.

This is similar to signing your kids up for martial arts because you secretly want them to build a sense of self-confidence, discipline, calmness, and have a healthy outlet for that never-ending energy they possess. The acquired skill of self-defense is almost an afterthought.

Take a minute to think about something in your life that you’ve haphazardly pursued and you know deep down, if you were to endeavor to teach others, you’d inevitably level-up.

For me, it’s writing.

Both words and {code}.

The idea of expressing my thoughts, sharing where my curiosities lead me, the wisdoms of ancient philosophies, the discoveries that fuel my techno-optimism, and other esoteric stuff that makes life so endlessly fascinating is something I find profoundly compelling. To be able to do it so easily with minimal tech, money, and time makes me feeling nothing less than spoiled. To not capitalize on this opportunity would be wasteful at best.

Coding just the same. Beyond the endless amount of free information and tutorials (this can paradoxically be crippling but that’s a topic for a later date), the community is extremely supportive and welcoming. The world of web3 seems to have endless possibilities and in my naïve understanding solve for a lot of the modern issues that plague our societies as they stand.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the only thing more powerful and impactful than the web3 community is the potential of the underlying tech itself.

Going to get into all of that in coming days but for today, let’s focus on this concept of teaching to learn.

There are a few specific hidden benefits that I’d like to identify to further bolster the case for why you should make the commitment.

Learning how to learn. How does your roadmap look? Do others think it makes sense?

First off, if you haven’t seen one of the best MOOC ever created…here.

Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects

You’re welcome !

Teaching to learn makes you assess the path forward, the sources and content you’ve chosen to consume, and prepare adequately. You know you don’t want to share how you floundered about for 3 weeks and realized you learned from a tutorial and workshop written by someone who has no idea about best practices, the fundamentals, lacks personal experience to share, etc…

(Side note: One could argue that sharing mini “failures” like this would still be useful because it’s one less pitfall someone may run into thanks to you. The good and the bad.)

So take the time to sharpen your axe before you take your first swing. If you’re going to attempt to teach others as you go, the least you can do, is strive to optimize that quality of content you consume.

Quick side note — I’d argue the ability to judge and qualify the content you digest is becoming one of the most important meta-skills of modern times. Try to be mindful and critical of all content you expose yourself to. It’s growing more and more difficult as the internet allows you to find people who have all the credentials and offer that sweet, sweet hit of confirmation bias you’re craving (consciously or not). Do better, though. Assess the content independent of whether it agrees with your viewpoints, opinions, beliefs, and models. More important than confirmation bias is allowing yourself the opportunity to undergo a paradigm shift. As we do in science, try to welcome the idea of having your views adjusted to a more accurate representation of reality. This is the goal — not being right.

Consistency forced via public accountability. Make yourself feel obligated to show up because others are opting in to share your experience with you.

Showing up to teach others as you learn means finding students, mentors, your tribe, communities of like-minded people, and those who find your approach and perspective to be valuable.

A useful byproduct?

Accountability.

What’s the byproduct of accountability? Consistency. Another superpower if you can manage to develop it enough.

Showing up everyday for your own benefit knowing it’s a non-negotiable pre-requisite to the progress and end-goal is one thing. Showing up everyday because other’s are expecting you to, depending on you, and engaging with you with both questions and support…is a whole different level.

Austin Kleon has an awesome book called Show Your Work! and the idea is that your comfortable exposing your vulnerabilities, process and not just finished product, the trials and tribulations, and giving others a reason to relate and share in your journey. This is an awesome book to reinforce the notion that you should start teaching as you learn. People sometimes just want to find another explorer who’s but a step ahead of them on the journey, who isn’t a seasoned veteran, or has some unfathomable achievements to their name. They want relatable. They want to see what’s just around the corner. Be that for them.

Expose your blind spots and strive for deep knowledge.

The very first thing you’ll notice as you try to teach others is that you need to do a quick look-up, a quick Google search, reference back to a note as to what this term means or that algo does…this is a blind spot.

Teaching others is one of the most efficient ways to expose these blind spots because you’re literally unable to explain them to others. Mentally you were relying on context and just skipping over them with the assumption that they wouldn’t hold you back in moving forward. That’s insufficient when it comes to teaching others.

As you relinquish these blind spots something magical waits on the other side. Let’s call this deep knowledge.

If you haven’t heard of Richard Feynman…well first crawl out from from under that rock, it’s nice out here.

Aside from thinking and operating in a different plane from us mere mortals, he shared with us one of the greatest gifts, and that is a method and model to gauge your understanding of any given material.

The Feynman technique is a means by which you use simple and concise language to distil complex topics and theories in such a way that anyone would be able to grasp the core concept.

Deny yourself the option of using jargon as a means to obfuscate your lack of deep understanding. (Before you correct me…yes, certain fields require it I.E. the sciences, the legal world, trading options, etc…just allow me to use this broad brush for a moment). How well can you build up your understanding that you’d be able to Explain It Like I Am a 5-year old (ELIA5).

I’m on a journey to develop my ability to write words that inspire and code that works.

If you enjoyed this — I’d love to have you follow along as I teach, learn, stumble a bit, and get a little bit better every day.

Originally published at https://www.davegabriele.com on August 3, 2022.

My family and I went down to Florida, a place called Anastasia Island near one of our favorite towns called St. Augustine, and it delivered in every way (as it always does). The looks of awe and wonder on our kid’s faces at the Alligator Farm, their sense of adventure and curiosity to see what’s next at Sea World, and the quick glances over to Wifey while sitting down for food and drinks as we exchange smiles that seem to say everything that needs to be said. Needless to say, vacation was a success.

I’m left to wonder what makes these times so special. Almost painfully so. Is it our sense of gratitude that allows the smallest of things to feel so perfect? Is it our financial situation that allows us to go without any sense of hesitation or subconscious concern? Of course it’s a combination of all of the above but I find it easier to control and more fun to focus on the former rather than the latter. Financials, as we’ve all seen or experienced, can sometimes ebb and flow regardless of effort. Our mindset and perspective, in my opinion, can continue to improve with a concerted effort. So it’s fair to take some credit for our ability to acknowledge the moments sitting by the pool, walking in the woods, or laughing uncontrollably in bed at night because we’re all overtired and running on fumes, that make our lives seem so frighteningly perfect.

These miracle-moments, as I call them, happen every day. You can choose to see them or not, the choice is yours, and the difference they make is everything. Maybe it’s the mindset of being on vacation that makes one a bit more tuned in to the right frequency and susceptible to witnessing these miracle-moments. We’re almost to find them when we’re away and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The question worth sitting with is how can we adopt this sensitivity and integrate it into our everyday lives. Perhaps we need to build better habits of putting the phone down, embracing mindfulness in a way that allows us to share in the moments of curiosity with our kids, and be generally more open to experiencing these simple moments. It’s easy to be dialed in on vacation or at momentous occasions. Can we do it consistently when sitting down for legos or homework? Playing outside in the grass or going for a walk? It’s when we feel we can justify some scrolling and swiping that we need to be most vigilant.

At one moment on vacation, with Julissa and Juliana down by the pool (going on their 8th hour I think?), little man zonked out in bed, and some time to kill, I walked out onto the balcony to look towards the waves crashing into the aged wooden pier. It was cluttered with fishermen, their coolers sitting next to them, and families going out to experience the view from the far end.

Looking beyond this pier, I started to the infinite vastness of the ocean. The waves endlessly crashing, the horizon presenting itself without a beginning or end, and the realization that it’s been around long before and will be around long after all of us.

As I think about why I’m drawn to such things, the feelings of smallness and triviality they invoke, and the ability to be quickly reminded of how temporary this life really is…I think I was given some answers in that moment.

While we all strive to make outsized, positive impacts on this world — we inevitably fade back to black. Nothingness. This can be as daunting or freeing if you let it.

For me personally, this I alluded to is liberating. We apply and label things as meaningful, good, bad, etc. but in the end…it comes and goes. Few things are ever as important as we make them out to be. Few things are as good or as bad as well. In the end, much of the experience of life is contrived in our minds long before it’s directly experienced. Perhaps we should stop, accept that much of life is trivial, and realize the best way to honor our time here is by being present enough to witness the miracle-moments more often?

There’s an ever-expanding reality around us with a complexity that continues to pile on, and life seems to be more and more difficult by the moment. A bit of reductionism, whether induced by nature or personal efforts, can be a powerful elixir to this complication. The ability to disengage, disconnect, and reduce with the hopes of enabling mindfulness in a meaningful way.

The more intentional and mindful we are the purer our experiences of miracle-moments. If there’s anything worth striving for — it’s seeking these out.

We should not be so afraid to use our temporaneous nature as a motivator of sorts. A driving force for us to experience life head on and to embrace every moment.

This is what the ocean does for me.

Originally published at https://www.davegabriele.com on July 20, 2022.