What If I Don’t Have the Time (Or Talent) to Learn a New Skill?
I hear it all the time:
“I’m too busy.”
“I’ve tried before and failed.”
“Other people are naturally better than me.”
These are the exact thoughts that keep us stuck. Let’s break them down.
“I don’t have time.”
The truth: you don’t need hours a day. You need focused, deliberate bursts. Even 20 minutes a day adds up to 10 hours in a month—that’s enough to see meaningful progress in any skill.
“I’ve failed before.”
Chances are, you didn’t fail—you just didn’t have the right framework. Jumping between random tutorials or quitting when motivation dipped isn’t failure. It’s a lack of structure.
“I’m not talented enough.”
This one cuts deep, but it’s a lie. Talent plays a role, sure, but process matters far more. I’ve seen people with “no natural ability” surpass others simply because they practiced consistently with intention.
Here’s the reframe: you don’t need more time, talent, or luck. You need a repeatable process that guarantees forward motion—even in small increments.
I run an X page where I write about Big Brother (and soon expanding into music, TV and sports), and I’ve been realizing the same thing. You don’t need endless hours, you need focus. The way you broke down time, talent and structure reminded me that even content creation is about process. I’ve been applying some of the clarity exercises from your ebook and it’s helping me define my voice so my posts stand out, not just blend in. Great tips today Idris!
One thing I’ve realized is it’s not time I’m lacking, it’s commitment. My 9-5 is stressful and does take up a good bit of my energy but all it really takes is that 20 minutes a day to make progress. A few months ago I didn’t think I’d be able to dance at all. But now that I’m giving that 20 minutes to learn dance moves with my daughter I’m not only learning the moves but making memories with her that will last forever. Much of this I learned from your newsletters so thank you Idris Elijah!!