How to Master Any Skill

Step 1: Pick the Right Material

Once you have selected a skill to master, you now need to pick the material to study. It needs to come from honest people who have mastered the skill and can help you do the same.

Study material includes books, articles, manuals, audio books, videos and AI chatbots. You can study the material on a device, join classes online, go to a school or college, or sign up for specialized course-room training.

The material you will use is vital. If it is the RIGHT material, you have taken this first step to mastering the skill. The material gives you the information you need and the steps you must take to get the results of your skill.

If the material you study is WRONG, you will not master the skill. You will waste money and valuable time. You will give up.

Even if you have no choice over the material you must study, it’s good to know which of the required material will actually help you master the skill. Give priority to that material.

Ten Types of Wrong Material

1. Sales Pitch Material

For example, you buy a book on self-confidence. It’s a skill you have always wanted. You read it expecting it will help you, but it pushes you to take an expensive course. You wasted your money and time on the book, and your confidence has not increased.

2. Old Material

For example, you buy an online course to learn how to use Photoshop to edit pictures. You try to follow the instructions but your Photoshop program screen does not match the course instructor’s screen. You do a little research to discover the online course is six years old and uses an old version of Photoshop.

3. Writer Self-Importance

For example, you read a book on personal power. The author promotes how amazing he or she is instead of giving you solid, helpful information. “When I was flying in my helicopter to speak at an event I noticed thousands of people lining up to see me. Something like that really boosts your self-confidence!”

4. Unrealistic Claims

For example, “Just sign up here for $1000 per month and you will make millions this year . . . in your spare time!”

5. Incomplete Material

For example, the book says “Part One,” but you do not have “Part Two.”

Or you watch a lecture about future pandemics as the last one nearly destroyed your business. The speaker lists several potential diseases we might need to face. At the end of the lecture, the speaker says, “So everyone needs to think about this and find some solutions. Thank you.”

6. Slanted Material

The material is biased, prejudiced or slants toward a political party, conspiracy theory, religion, etc.

“If you have faith and worship me, you will be blessed with millions.” “Everyone knows that men are better workers than women.” “Our children will all die unless we recycle.”

The material may also criticize people or groups without offering anything useful. “Never believe ___ people. They are after your money and will ruin your life.”

7. Material Based on Opinions

Instead of reading the original information, you read someone’s opinions about the original material.

For example, read the U.S. Constitution instead of someone’s book about it. Read what scientists, religious leaders or government officials actually say or write, not what the news media wants you to know.

8. Useless Material

For example, you want the skills to be a French chef. You subscribe to a weekly email of lessons, but they are mostly personal thoughts and stories about the writer’s life. The lessons are hidden near the end of the email forcing you to read the stories.

9. Disorganized Material

For example, you start an online course on how to give speeches. The course starts with writing an outline of talks, then jumps to promoting your speeches, then jumps to using jokes, then how to end a talk and then dealing with stage freight.

10. Bad Writing

For example, you want to master an online advertising skill. You find a website on advertising and start reading the articles. However, some of the words are misspelled, some of the sentences are incomplete and some do not make sense. At first you think the writer is an idiot, but then you realize the material was originally written in German and the translation is poor.

Other signs of bad writing include big words that most people do not understand, bad jokes and personal information about the writer.

Eight Tips for Picking the Right Material

The best material is honest, fair, recent and complete. The people behind the material must truly want to help you master the skill. These tips will help you find the material that is best for you.

1. Try before buying.

Read sample pages of books or try an introductory course to ensure the material is going to be useful to you.

2. Read reviews of other readers and students.

Remember that a small percentage of reviews are fake, especially extremely critical reviews.

3. Check age of the material or date it was written or created.

Some material is timeless, such as managing organizations. Other material needs to be current and fresh, such as computer skills.

4. Avoid influencers.

Just because the someone is famous does not mean he or she knows how to teach anything to anyone. For example, motivational speakers, athletes, CEOs and celebrities are usually interesting, but not educators.

5. Look for proof.

For example, a course on website designs should have dozens of awesome websites he or she created. The instructor should also have dozens of happy students proving he or she is a good instructor.

6. Look for recommendations of the skill masters.

For example, if Warren Buffet, the greatest investor of all time, recommends an investment book, you will know it is a good book. If an incredible actor recommends an acting school, you can assume it’s a good school. If an amazing tech genius recommends you use its company’s own study material, you can believe the material will be right.

7. Who discovered the skill you wish to master? Read what THEY wrote.

For example, if your boss had your job last year and did an incredible job, read whatever your boss wrote of how to do that job. If you want the skill to invent new devices, read books and quotes by Steve Jobs. To master art skills, read what Leonardo da Vinci said and wrote.

8. Believe in your own opinions.

After you understand the material you may believe the material is wrong. If so, keep looking until you find material that is correct for you.

This article is based on The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard.

Next Step: Understand Every Word.