Are you ever too old to learn certain life skills?

[dragonfire13]

I'm going through this "fresh start" period of my life, focusing on bettering myself to try and boost my self esteem and to hopefully make me a more well-rounded person, especially after a tough few months.

 

I know that indulging more in your hobbies and learning/honing certain skills is a great way to give yourself a confidence boost.

 

The thing is, I've never been that much of a sporty, active person. That's not to imply that I'm unhealthy (I go for daily two mile walks to stay in shape and it seems to be working, as whenever I walk with friends or family they're huff and puff and say I'm walking too fast), but I'm just crap at most practical and sporty/competitive things. Cycling. Swimming. Ice-Skating. Even games such as pool or bowling lol. Whether it's down to a lack of confidence or practice, I'm not sure. By some miracle, I have my driving licence.

 

It also makes me a little self-conscious about dating because a lot of this stuff are good date ideas... until you explain you're really limited at these activities lol.

 

I was just never taught these things as a kid and I think they're much harder (and more embarrassing!) to learn as an adult. My friend taught me how to sort of swim when we were on holiday and when I went travelling, I hired a bike out of for the day to practice and I sort of got it.

 

It seems I've basically picked up the skill, but they just need honing and I need more practice. I'd still be terrified venturing to the deep end of a pool and there's no way I could cycle from A-B somewhere.

 

I've had some practice since, but when I try to take a bike out for example, I get self-conscious and people are always watching me (some even comment). Watching an adult haphazardly ride a bike is probably quite entertaining.

 

I find my self-esteem plummeting and I've sort of given up, accepting that there are some things in life I will never be good at.

[OwMyEyeball]

Those types of skills can be acquired at any age. What can make an adult learner face greater challenges than an infant is the self-consciousness that you've just described. Kids have yet to form their ego and are able to focus more of their attention on the task at hand. They don't delve into thought as adults often do, with none of the self-doubts or self-recriminations that torpedo ambition.

 

My suggestion would be to learn meditation practices that shift your mind away from the "I" and towards the self. That can help tremendously in focusing ourselves on the existence of being, which is, in my experience, the best frame of mind to be in when learning just about anything.

 

Provided there are locations in your area that would allow it, you can also take to your lessons in private, away from the eyes and ears of others. This may help you to keep awareness outside of yourself, which is a very normal yet catastrophic result towards any kind of performance.

 

There's no "too late" for learning any of what you've listed.

[GorillaTheater]

I learned how to make stained glass windows at 50. When I was going through graduate school, there was a guy there who was in his mid-60s.

 

With the sorts of things you listed, I would think that it's a matter of practicing as often as possible. Get a bike and ride it an hour or two a day. Same thing with swimming, pool, etc.

 

What you'll probably find is that there will be one or two things that you truly enjoy and you'll let the others drop. But it's a matter of pushing yourself in the meantime, and you're NEVER too old to do that.

[dragonfire13]

Thanks for the feedback...indeed, I think it's definitely a case of pushing and motivating yourself, and trying to get over the self-conscious feeling.

 

Weirdly, I came across a cycling initiative being held in my area (which recently hosted the Tour de France), giving free cycling training as the govt. try to encourage people to cycle more, which I hope to make use of. So it's a start