The other day I was mulling over my West Coast Swing Dance Lesson while instructing my dance instructor’s driving-eligible daughter on driving a manual transmission vehicle, and concluded one thought: Every learned skill is depreciative.
Either you use’em or you lose’em.
Depreciative Skills: Use’em or Lose’em
I am thorough in most things in my life, including instruction. So I explained that there 4 Levels of Competency, therefore she should be patient with herself, and as well as others. I have been driving a ‘stick’ for 16 years.
As you would assume my driving a manual transmission is the Highest Level of Competency: Unconscious Competency.
That statement got me thinking: what many years / days / hours does anyone need to achieve that level of competency?
And is the inverse true? How many years / days / hours removed before you “lose” that skill, or must re-learn from the beginning?
For example, how long would I have to not drive stick shift vehicle(s) before I forget how to do it? Or is it not theoretically possible for that to happen, barring memory loss or major brain damage?
Or if I stopped today, would the skill be latent for 16 years then it expires?
Furthermore, how many years / days / hours will it be for Grace to achieve Unconscious Competency for manual transmission vehicles?
Dance, Dance Revolution
With COVID-19 still in effect, my instructor limits instruction to 5 people including herself. One of the comments consistently heard, even I’ve uttered it, is “it’s been awhile, I don’t remember that routine immediately, can you recap it?”
Hell, sometimes I don’t even remember last week’s new move in West Coast, let alone an unpracticed country line dance such as Fake ID.
Dancing is much like driving a manual transmission vehicle … many hours of practice to finesse that skill into unconscious competency, but seemingly easy to lose if not.
Again, use’em or lose’em skills.
I’ll be mindful to keep driving, keep dancing, and to keep digging.
Neo-Renaissance Man
With my experience of depreciative skills, I suppose that unconsciously guides me to continue to practice my photography skills, photo editing, videography, home improvement and several others.
A Fil-Am Renaissance Man, perhaps?
a person with many talents or areas of knowledge.
~ Wikipedia
I was quite a whiz at HTML coding for websites, but as technology lent itself to quicker tools, easily understood programming language, and turn-key website making, I stopped practicing writing that type of code.
However, that knowledge is super handy on the Geocaching website while writing up Geocache Description Pages! You can either use Source or Visual or … Manual or Automatic.
IMAGINE THAT!
Aiight Spaceship Earth that’s enough about me. What are your specialized skills? What are you continuing to practice so you don’t ‘lose it’?
Or what skills have you forgot, but would love to re-learn?
Drop me a line or comment below.
‘los
los, Fil-Am Renaissance Man 