Yes, teach what you don't know yet. Like myself, you're probably one of those people that bite far more than you can chew, and later on you'll find out that there is a lot you need to organize and deal with. But how about if you set yourself to teach someone the same things you don't know? How about if you schedule a 30-minute class about that same subject you need to learn? Do that and you will find a few things, just like I found myself:

1. There is a lot you can share from previous experiences. And there is a lot you already know from previous experiences.

2. Thinking that you have to teach someone, will make you UNDERSTAND rather than just memorize. It will also allow you to divide and organize the topics that you have to go through.

3. When you are actually talking to people, I mean, when you are the speaker, their questions and doubts will allow you to dig further into things you didn't think of before.

Well, if you agree to that, let's go just a little bit further: you finally need to set yourself on a learning path, and there are a few useful hacks to create your learning path, online, on YouTube University, or any other websites and Foruns that people like yourself have created in the past.

1. Where did that specific subject derive from? Yes, in the history of humanity, when did it start? Did you know that Law came from Sociology? That many communication devices started because the military needed to communicate? Did you know that currencies were created when people started gathering in markets? That many countries were territories and that the UN came to be after WW2? Well, so when did that thing you are studying start? You don't have to go too deep into it, but you have to have a foundation: a basis on top of which you will be confident enough that you can follow the story. Going through a new learning path without learning about history is like starting a TV Show from the third season: there is a lot you won't understand because you don't know why they moved to the Ozarks in the first place.

2. You know when it started, you don't know where it goes: you're in the middle. What did people use it for and what use are you going to make of it? This is when you start asking questions: What am I supposed to do with this? What does my client expect from me? What skills do I need? Where do I find what I need to learn? What is the vocabulary I need to learn to understand this universe? This is when you will go after the resources.

What are resources? There are the free ones and the paid ones. I'll keep focus on the free ones but they require patience and time. If you don't have either, you can just hire a tutor but you will still need to put in the effort.

Here is a BTS film I did for a business partner. Enjoy it!

The free resources:

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Manuals: Do you need to operate a specific gear? What are the specs? Find the manuals online and don't skip the intro. If you learn about the company, you'll see what other things they make, and what is related to the specific thing you are learning and that is useful so you have a good overview of what you are about to learn.

Online Forums: Reddit, Facebook, the Brands themselves, there are a bunch of ways to get into a new industry and build the skill you need online. Skim through the usual questions and doubts. Don't try to understand everything, keep a distance so you can create an image in your head of the types of issues people encounter when they dive into the universe you are diving into.

Online Tutorials: Yes, that's the most common one nowadays. Just type anything followed by the words "beginner" "basics" or "for dummies". Learning online is infinite. Maybe it should be a subject taught in schools.

Sometimes you will struggle to find a path that takes you from where you are to where you want to be. It's more common than you imagine. In that case, you will be responsible for creating your learning path. Here are a few things that might help you with that:

1. Watch the same subject being taught by different people. It's not a waste of time, it is quite important, actually. They might say the same thing in different ways and the second one will probably make more sense than the first one because you can now get a better hold of that specific idea.

2. Bear the ignorance: you need to be comfortable not knowing. Yes, wait in this muddy, stinky, nasty swamp of doubt and confusion. You will only get to the other side once you've crossed the valley of shadows. Everyone has done that. Children will live in that valley for years and years. I might even add that it is probably good for your brain to not be able to make sense of what you're learning because it makes it rewire as your knowledge expands.

3. Go back to the beginning of the story: why did people come up with this? Well, they started using words to describe dangerous predators so that they could protect their clan. They started using shoes because one of them stepped on a rock. Whatever. Remember how it started.

4. Small chunks are easier to chew and swallow. Keep it small. Repeat. Take a photo. Take two. Take three. Change the shutter speed. Take a new photo. Change the ISO, and take another. Move to a different place, a different point of view. Take another one. Each photo is one step closer to being a photographer. The next thing you will see is you are adjusting Highlights on Lightroom and you feel really good about the results.

5. Take notes and remember you will teach someone all that you are learning. Do you know what makes it easier for people to learn? Feeling smart. If you start with really basic things, the type of things that make them think “Oh, I knew that". That will allow them to follow you until you go through the difficult stuff.

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I have good news now: you can do this. You can definitely start learning something completely odd and new and go through with it. There are no limits to what you can imagine and learn. There is more good news: there will always be more things to learn. You will never be finished with this. You might as well enjoy it then, hey?

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Never easy to do something simple. English is not my first language, you could tell, but it is good challenge: use your creative brain with something you don't really know how to do, and it might not give you the best result, but the process will be as fun as it gets. or not. You tell me.

Beginnings

You want to get there, you want to fall in love, hit the top charts, walk the red carpet and step on the hall of fame. All of us do. this yearning for something else, for something that might get us a new thrill, that is rocket fuel. That might give you the ride of a life. And even if you don't make it, well, it is worth the ride. I studied Psychology at Uni, but I've always worked as an actor. Acting taught me everything: be able to read good and bad stuff, work with talented people and it taught me so much about myself. It taught me to see people's talents, and that's my special power.

Christopher Nolan said "actors are human lie-detectors". Couldn't agree more. Good news is: anyone could be an actor. In fact, everyone is an actor. Some are able to do more than one role. Are you?

Sharing thoughts

You are reading this so you don't feel alone. I'm doing the same. I'll share my thoughts on immigration (yes, I came from Brazil to Australia), on culture, on politics, on mindsets, on communication, on goals, on life. I'll quote unkown people and I'll delight you with specifics.

I'll post once a week

If you want to know about Australian life, Brazilian life, culture, arts and business, join me. Free subscribers read the weekly post. If you are paying, you get the same, but I'll pray for you at night. True.

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Thanks!

Talk to you soon.

If you were Brazilian, I'd probably swear and give you a warm hug. We don't do those things to strangers in Australia. Or do we?

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