Training on the easy stuff
I was reading James Clear’s newsletter recently. He wrote, “Work hard on what comes easily.”
Fishing in mountain streams is easy for me. I do it a lot. As I explained to someone the other day, “It’s not that I’m all that good at it; I just have a lot of experience doing it, and I get better a little at a time. Plus, I enjoy the hell out of it, so I do it a lot.”1
Here’s the thing. Even though fishing in my favorite streams is easy, it’s a terrific opportunity to improve my skills and try new things. Especially when things are slow.
“Perfection is the enemy of the good”
Clear goes on in his article, “Use the best idea you have right now. Claiming you need to ‘learn more' or ‘get your ducks in a row' is just a crutch that prevents you from starting. Education is a lifelong pursuit. You will always need to learn more. It's not a reason to wait.”
Fly-fishing is a lifetime pursuit and an opportunity to learn. One can read, watch videos or take lessons, but to get better, you need to get out and do it. Following Clear’s advice to “Use the best idea you have right now” means trying it—experience solidifies lessons. It’s called training.
Training is the hard work
The lessons, reading, watching and listening are all part of the program. So is getting out and doing it. Why do we do it? We are training for the moment when all that training pays off. When it happens, you will be happy you put in the time to be ready for it.
Speaking of training…
I’ll leave you with this image. I was a lab rat for an afternoon and had a blast.
Yes, it’s like that. You know what I’m talking about, don’t pretend you don’t…