My new year's promise to myself

I once read this really inspiring article that sort of articulated what I've always thought. I can't remember who wrote it, but I believe it was on Cracked.com. Anyways, the author basically said that you have the capability to learn or train yourself to do almost anything.

(Edit--Cracked has graciously reposted the link to the article here. There's more to it than I mention below. It's well worth a read.)

Don't know how to play a guitar and want to learn how? Get a guitar and learn. Want to learn how to speak Spanish? Then learn!

His basic point was there is no reason at all that you can't not only learn, but master, any skill. Maybe you don't have a natural facility for languages--you aren't one of those people who can just hear it and understand it. So what? You can still learn to speak Spanish--all it takes is the determination to do it. It may be incredibly difficult for you--it may be something you'll need to devote a lot of time to--but you will do it, and get really good at it, too, eventually, provided you are patient with yourself and are willing to work at it.

Yeah, it's easier for some people than for others. I'm not saying it isn't. But that doesn't matter. That's no reason not to do it.

When you see a great artist, musician, or actor working, and they make it seem so effortless, remember what you are seeing is the end result of dedication to their craft. Everybody, even the greats, really sucked the first time they tried to do something. But we don't see that. It ain't magic, it's just willingness to put in the time.

Of course, the author of this article wasn't talking about something like athletic ability--I know I'll never be able to throw a 90 mph fastball or run a 4.4 40-yard dash, because that does take an innate ability. However, if I trained hard enough, I could get better at those things, too, though not good enough to be a professional athlete.

I use this philosophy to determine what I'm going to work on in the coming year. This year (2013) I wanted to work on my writing, and, even though I haven't had much luck completing prose projects, my screenwriting skills are noticeably better, and I can blow through a screenplay pretty quickly--and, at least in my opinion, it'll be pretty good, too. I've refined my skills, become more conscious of what works and what doesn't, developed my sense of what gives a story depth and resonance. I've cultivated an appreciation for planning a project, plotting it out, developing it, mapping the route I want to take to get to the final destination--though I also leave room for any interesting side trips that may come up.

All that is well-and-good and I'm glad I put in that time, and with luck you'll be seeing some stuff out there soon with my name on it.

Next year (2014) is the year I'm going to work on my drawing and painting skills. I mentioned previously I want to learn to create fairyland style art, and that will be what I'm devoting myself to in the coming year. I'll continue to write, and work on developing my skills in that area, don't get me wrong--I'll be doing that for the rest of my life. This is something else I just want to get good at, something else that will enhance my life, another way for me to contribute something to other people's lives, maybe.

So, what are you going to focus on in the coming year?