How to Master Any Skill by Teaching What You Want to Learn
Have you ever tried to teach something you thought you knew well, only to realize you weren’t as good as you thought? That happened to me recently. I was working on a course about marketing, and I found myself struggling. I kept thinking, “How is this possible? I know this stuff!” But here’s the truth: explaining something clearly, in a way that makes sense to others, is much harder than just knowing it for yourself.
When you teach, you’re forced to restructure your knowledge. You have to make it simple, clear, and understandable for someone else. That’s not easy. In fact, it’s really tough. Even if you’re an expert in one area, when you start teaching a new topic, you’ll probably feel lost at first. You might know the material, but getting it out of your head and into someone else’s in a simple way is a whole different challenge.
One of the biggest traps is jumping too quickly from beginner to advanced topics, or scattering your ideas everywhere because you’re excited. I know this is my weakness. I get passionate about a subject and want to share everything at once. But that just confuses the person on the other side of the screen. They get lost, and the message is lost with them.
I realized this while looking at my own notes for the marketing course. They were all over the place. I had to stop and ask myself, “Pierre, what are you doing? You need to go step by step, be precise, and build things logically—like a mathematician or a historian.” But I’m more of an artist, a creative type, and I tend to jump around. I want to share everything, but in the end, it just becomes a mess.
 How to Master Any Skill by Teaching What You Want to Learn - Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
So here’s what I learned: teaching is a journey. At first, you’ll feel like you’re not good at it. That’s normal. If you’re making your first course or trying to explain something new, don’t worry if you feel like a mess. The key is not to judge yourself too harshly. Look at your work to improve, not to beat yourself up. If you focus on your mistakes, you’ll just add negativity, and that destroys your confidence.
Instead, focus on building your self-esteem. Love your life, love what you do, and be present. That’s what matters most. Your mission is to teach, not to judge yourself. Just look for ways to get a little better tomorrow, and the next day. Try to become a better teacher than you were yesterday. Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is different. If you compare your inside to someone else’s outside, you’ll always feel bad. Just compare yourself to your past self, and make a plan to improve.
Even if you only teach for ten minutes a day, that adds up. After a week, that’s more than an hour of experience. After a month, it’s four and a half hours. That’s huge! With these small steps, these tiny jumps, you’ll get better and better. That’s how you build a career you love, doing something that fascinates you.
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.
—Walter Elliot
So, if you want to get better every day, just take action. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. The best time to start is now. Every day, do a little bit more, and you’ll be amazed at how far you can go.
Key Takeaways
- Teaching what you want to learn is the best way to master it.
- Don’t judge yourself harshly when you start; improvement comes with practice.
- Focus on small, daily steps rather than big leaps.
- Compare yourself only to your past self, not to others.
- Passion is great, but clarity and structure are key for your students.
Action Steps
- Teach something you want to learn, even if you feel unprepared.
- Review your teaching to improve, not to criticize.
- Set a simple goal: teach for 10 minutes a day.
- Make a plan to improve one small thing each day.
Reflection
- What’s one thing you want to master? Could you try teaching it to someone else?
- Are you comparing yourself to others, or just to your past self?
- What’s one small step you can take today to become a better teacher—or learner?
Pierre-Henry Soria
#Education #Learning #Mastery #Productivity #Self-Improvement #Teaching