Growth Happens When You Keep Showing Up

As I was studying some time this week, I realised how more efficient I had become. It was the way I was taking notes. While it was convenient to peg my note-taking app on one side of the screen, I was far more productive taking notes fast. It was much different two years ago before I learnt to type, but today's story is more about facing challenges than typing speed.

Touch typing may be a normal thing for some people or even a trivial thing to talk about, but it actually was a big deal for me one time. I desired to be able to just type without looking at the keyboard, but I didn't even know how to eventually get there. I became determined and dedicated time every day to learn and practice. Long story short, I went from 10 to 100 words per minute.

The key point here is not that I became fast but that I conquered a challenge. Doesn't matter what challenge, but that it was a big one for me at that time, and I won. What I didn't realise was that I was unlocking more by forging through the challenge.

To put it in perspective, one reason I stopped learning web development years ago was because of how frustrating it was to actually practice. It would take me time to type out codes because I spent more time searching for letters and symbols on the keyboard while learning. It's not an excuse, though, because I definitely would have gotten the hang of it if I didn't give up. Yet there was something slowing me down.

When I finally resolved to learn how to type, I knew it would be hard. Then I said to myself, "If I manage to show up every day, there will be significant growth in a year." Two years down the line now, and I am glad that I pulled through.

Something about challenges is that the more you confront them, the more courage you have to take on more, especially when you succeed. And no matter how small or invisible it may initially seem, growth is certain.

An example is just how much easier it is for me to quickly put down my thoughts or simply take notes while I am studying. It's second nature for me to type without actually even looking at the keyboard, so it comes in very handy when I am watching a video tutorial and I want to keep my eyes locked on something while trying to take notes.

More importantly, it's easier to feel more confident about taking on new challenges. "If I could do this one and see tremendous growth in a few months, then I can also see similar results if I put the same energy."

By the way, it didn't take me two years to begin to see growth. In four months, I was already becoming comfortable and gaining mastery of the keys. Perhaps I had levelled up to 40 words per minute or something. But it's not even just about speed. It's about being more efficient.

There are exciting new challenges that you're probably overthinking starting out. The problem is that you're overthinking, and the solution is in the problem. Just stop thinking and start now and check yourself out in a year or two.