Reconsidering…Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Throughout this year we will feature “Re-Considering Lily” where we will bring back by popular demand one of our previous topics. Sometimes the Consider Lily bloggers will add new comments and we will even invite previous bloggers to pipe in.
The ball has dropped. Champagne has been toasted. And resolutions have been made. It’s 2008, and without a doubt your resolutions, while the specifics may vary, fall into similar categories of everyone else’s. Lose weight. Manage your schedule better. Work out. Read more. Stop doing that thing you hate. Start doing that thing you should. Learn something new.
We had a great post last year about keeping your resolutions, and I encourage our readers to reference that. What I’d like to discuss (on a lighter note), is this learning something new resolution. It’s easy to get complacent in life and even easier (if you’re like me … hopefully you’re not, but you might be) to avoid things you’re not good at. This isn’t intended to be some sort of “do better, be better” post, but rather just a sharing of desires about what you’d like to learn that you don’t currently know.
There’s a lot of talk these days about how we should stay in our strengths and not worry about our areas of weakness or lacking … but I think you can teach an old dog new tricks, so I’d love to hear what things you’d like to learn or do this year that you haven’t mastered (or even that you’ve failed at in the past).
I love this! A few years ago, I decided I wanted to learn to sew. It was actually my New Year’s Resolution. The women in my family are not seamstresses, but I have always thought of that as a feminine superpower. So my grandmother gave me her old sewing machine that she didn’t know how to use, and I bought “Sewing for Dummies.” That didn’t help me too much, because I was evidently dumber than the average dummy, so I had a friend come over and give me a hands-on basic lesson. I did learn how to sew cute baby blankets and other cute baby gifts! It’s so fun! I tried a pattern for a dress for my daughter and it turned out to be tragically hilarious! My daughter never wore it, but I’ve kept it for laughs. (Laugh at your failures!)
This year, I really want to learn how to play tennis! Who will teach me?! Can I wear a cute tennis outfit, with matching visor? I think I’m going to get my son lessons so I can tag along. So fun!
Okay – I saw the title of our new blog discussion and got sort of excited that we might be talking about dogs and I have a LOT to talk about when it comes to our very adorable dog … but alas, KJ wants us discussing something besides my very cute dog … ahem …
Jenn – I so admire you for taking on the sewing thing. I think that is a skill that is lost on most gen-x and gen-y women and it can be SO valuable! I say this as I glance at the button that recently removed itself from my jacket and for which I haven’t the faintest idea of how to reattach … Anyhoo, I have made a few resolutions this year and just realized that not many of them have to do with LEARNING something new so maybe I need to think on this one a bit more. BUT – I will point out that LAST year (are we feeling my emphasis here with my capitalization? 
) I resolved to learn Mixed Martial Arts and took lessons faithfully (and joyfully – SO loved it … ) until I pulled my gluteus-maximus (aka my “bum” for you brits out there) and hamstring muscles in my left leg. But I did actually learn something new … in addition to learning how to not do it correctly, I suppose …
Love this topic, KJ! (Nikki, I too was a little excited to talk about dogs. Maybe we can talk amongst ourselves. Two years ago one of my resolutions was to learn to like coffee. What was I thinking?! Of course, I worked very hard and learned that skill and now I am trying to scale back a little on my coffee consumption. Be careful what you learn (Nikki, I think your butt-muscle-pull is a sign that UFC is not a safe skill to learn.)
I think it is totally possible to learn a new skill. But it isn’t easy. Just saying or writing “I will learn to ____” won’t do a thing unless you create the space, motivation, time, and accountability to make it happen. The year I learned to sew, I needed my sewing machine to have its own spot to sit out all the time. In the closet meant no sewing! Something that requires classes and money usually motivates me to follow through. Or if you’re asking a friend to teach you something, put several dates on the calendar or trade services so it’s structured for success. I’ve also found that I need an objective measure of success. Doing something “more” or learning “about” something is pretty vague. Something with numbers or dates works best for me!
One of my goals for the year is to learn how to garden! So I plan to schedule some “lessons” with a friend of mine who is garden-savvy and when Spring comes, I’ll get dirty! Success for me will be harvesting some real tomatoes and peas to feed to my family in July. Lets all hope that I will do better with gardening than I did with planting flowers the past four years. I’ve got to start believing the little tags that say “requires full sun.”
Nikki, I was just kidding about UFC. That’s cool that you put actions to your dreams of being Karate Girl. Just promise me you’ll fight for me if we’re ever mugged in a dark alley.
Wow … sewing, gardening and mixed martial arts … we clearly have some diversity amongst us
Hey! Who are you calling an old dog? Should I be offended?
A few years ago, having finished college and settled into a normal 9 to 5 job (ok, so maybe it was more like 9:15 to 4:30), I realized that life was no longer “organically” offering new experiences. Everyday looked pretty much the same. I decided then (I believe it may have been around my 30th birthday) that I was going to start seeking out opportunities to learn new things (new skills/hobbies … not just new “life lessons”, obviously those never stop). I bought a guitar and some running shoes (not for simultaneous use … although that could have been interesting). The next year I signed up for a photography workshop at a local college. The spring that I turned 33 I started rock climbing and took my first yoga class … an activity, I have since learned, that makes me feel strong and calm and even graceful (a word that has absolutely NEVER been used to describe me). Last year I started painting, embracing my “go big or go home” mantra by purchasing a 40×40 canvas for my first attempt. And this year, as you all know, I have become a baker. I think the question is not whether or not you can teach an “old dog” new tricks, but rather what kind of “treats” said dog might miss out on if she just stopped learning altogether? Each of my new interests have had such a profound impact on my life … some were important because they brought with them significant relationships … others were catalysts for healing and self-discovery … all of them are now a cherished part of my life tapestry.
I am, I suppose, an old dog.
I have learned many new tricks.
(you can tell by the twinkle in my eye)
You are NOT an old dog … but you are making me feel old given all of your “new tricks” you have learned. MY GOODNESS WOMAN! Have you thought about taking Mixed Martial Arts lessons to add into your line-up of “new skills” there, Nicole???? And Allie – I appreciate you “joking” about the UFC with me … but we all know you are TIVOing the UFC events to watch them in secret …
Nikki, do you really think a dog of your age should be practicing mixed martial arts … you might break a hip!
As for this dog, my goal for the year is to expand my photography skills. I own a camera that cost more than Shane’s first car (which he reminds me of often) and I know how to use at least half of its fancy features. So photography is not a new skill for me but I would like to be better at it.
This resolution is deeper for me than just improving my “how to” skills. As I said earlier, I tend to avoid things I’m not good at. When it comes to photography, I shy away from it because I fear that the end product won’t look as good as it did in my head. In order for me to “learn” more about photography I need to “do” photography.
Allie’s suggestions about making goals measurable and tangible were so good, so I plan to take them to heart.
First of all, I’d like to congratulate Nikki on managing to pull a muscle which I have literally no idea how to pull.
I’ve got two resolutions this year. The first is to learn how to play tennis (Jenn, if you’re ever in St. Louis and want to beat someone at tennis, let me know!). I signed up for an undergraduate tennis class this semester, so having mandatory practice two days a week will hopefully jump-start me into the sport. Added bonus: my goal to exercise more regularly this year also gets a boost from this!
The second goal looks a lot like KJ’s and Nicole’s. My second resolution is to do more things that scare me, or at least to go for it when my only reason for not doing something is fear. I realized last semester that I’m something of a coward, and that I work pretty hard in my life to keep everything around me under control. I know that fixing this is not a “manageable” goal, but it’s just something that I’m trying to be conscious about. I’m asking God to make it clear to me when I’m holding back out of fear (fear that people will judge me if I say what I really think, fear that I’ll look stupid trying and failing to learn salsa dancing, etc.), and I want the times when I decide to trust Him in those situations to become more frequent. Basically, the big “new trick” I want to learn this year is how to be willing to learn new tricks.
For my part, I think we can learn new tricks. I think that branching out and opening ourselves up to new things (or to old things with a renewed approach) is part of the “life to the full” that Christ came to give us (John 10:10). God made this world exciting, rich and complex. When we see new things, I think we get a glimpse of the eternal freshness that God really has, which is what is going to keep us fascinated with Him forever. The more facets of life I see, the more I find myself naturally praising Him for His creativity. I want to chase after that instinct to praise!
KJ – you’d better watch it, my friend … You want somma dis???? I’m considering not talking to you anymore.
Sally – I’d be happy to show you how I pulled my butt muscle. I’m sure you’ll be impressed because the martial arts move I was doing was one in which I always thought that I looked very cool doing … i.e., picture “Alias chick”… until, of course, I saw a picture of me doing this move and realized how ridiculous I look … not cool at all … maybe I should get KJ to snap the photos??? Will you be learning how to make people look “cool” with your new photography skills there, KJ? I’ve decided to talk to you again.
Back on topic – I thought of something new I’m learning to do this year. I’m learning to get up at 5:30 each morning … yes, even on the weekends. So far I can describe this new “skill” in one word: painful … very, very painful …
Nik, your “new trick” is making me sleepy …
I’m thinking of trying my hand at something new too … ORGANIZATION. I am desperate for it, in fact. My business is growing and administrative duties don’t come naturally to me. I bought some cute little colored folders and a portable filing cabinet, because my car is my office (it is also, sadly, my giant purse which is why there are no less than three Dr. Pepper chapsticks hiding somewhere beneath my seats). I really need to try to get my buttercream-frosted ducks in a row. This could be the hardest “new trick” I’ve ever learned. Not that “Organization” compares to “Mixed Martial Arts”, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up pulling a muscle before it’s all said and done …
Please pray,
Nicole, There is nothing more satisfying for me than labeling a folder and organizing its contents … call if you want help And I promise, we’ll stretch beforehand.
This year there are a couple things that I hope to enjoy more of: (1) writing/playing music and (2) keeping up with all the political/election happenings.
I’ve always enjoyed music and only the past year or so have I been brave enough to actually write lyrics and music and put them together. But usually I’m really critical and get too discouraged to keep going (generally this part of the process happens when I turn on the radio, hear Coldplay and decide I’m better off as a music listener, not a music player). But this year I really want to have the courage to keep going, ask for help from friends, and let the music flow … however painfully terrible it may be (Allie, I need to channel your fantastic musical energies! If only I were so gifted …)
My second “resolution” is something that I always intend to do, but never quite follow through on. And with the election this year, I think it’s more important than ever for me to be an educated voter. So I’m going to try to do a little more reading of the news, a little more talking about policies and platforms, and a little more thinking about the issues myself.
Wow … I feel pretty lame-o in my MMA goals … Nicole is going to be the organized Queen and Erica – you have raised an incredible point that we should probably ALL be doing … becoming educated voters. I love our country – and the lawyer in me is even more passionate about the freedoms that we have been given and the responsibility to exercise them. Translation: I believe that every of-age person should be voting … our votes … do … matter. I think I’ll add this one on as well. Thanks for bringing this up, Erica.
Educated voter! Good one! Most of my political education comes from sitting around my parents’ table with my brothers and listening to them talk. We’re all over the map in my family. It’s always interesting.
But I wanted to say, in our resolution post last year I wrote I wanted to run a half marathon. It didn’t happen in 2007, but I am “training” for one now, if training means running until I feel like I have the flu and want to throw up. That’s how I feel right now after running 8 miles. I’m thinking about making a resolution to swear off resolutions. How does our rock star editor, Audrey, run these like every weekend? My new trick may be to aim lower in life. I feel sick.
Girls, I have loved reading about your “new tricks.” I hope 2008 is truly a year for getting organized, taking more pictures, running half marathons, playing tennis, drinking less coffee (good luck with that), gardening, getting up early (crazy, but whatever), writing music, and being politically informed!