Transcript
Chris Penick: Mac, you recommended Boots and Cats, but... Boots and Cats is like when you want to learn to beatbox.
Chris Minnick: Right. I know, but
Chris Penick: which is a good one that we should probably. say You know, that might be one that comes up at some point is all I'm letting you know.
Chris Minnick: Did you ever, I mean, I think we were in middle school at about the same time.
Chris Penick: So.
Chris Minnick: Did you ever learn to break dance?
Chris Penick: Hehehehehehe. Well... Dance and break both of those words will so might have different meaning there.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: um But yeah, I did sort of. I mean, i I might have gotten like a piece of cardboard and laid it out on.
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Minnick: Yeah, yeah, me too.
Chris Penick: the law, you know. So.
Chris Minnick: Yep. And I learned, you know, I learned. ah um The I. you know backspin And, you know, the worm. and this stuff and then like Uh,
Chris Minnick: I kind of i pulled that stuff out, you know, the backspin at um a friend's wedding when I was like 45.
Chris Penick: Mm hmm.
Chris Minnick: hurt myself. But i'm I'm kind of famous for that now.
Chris Penick: Well, there you go, all right Nice.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Brilliant. Okay.
Chris Minnick: Mm -hmm.
Chris Penick: Well, I guess we should uh now we should introduce people so you know We have to welcome people back. Or if this is your first time, welcome for the first time to moving the Moving Towards Better podcast.
Chris Penick: And I am Chris Penick, sometimes known as DJ Crispy. And with me, I have...
Chris Minnick: Hi, I'm Chris Minnick. also known as See money.
Chris Penick: And ah probably it...
Chris Minnick: and I've got a frog in my throat.
Chris Penick: He's got a frog. We'll let it get out I got a frog in the background.
Chris Minnick: He's gone.
Chris Penick: They might not be able to see it though.
Chris Minnick: It's up.
Chris Penick: So.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Yeah. Yeah, it's Kermes back there.
Chris Minnick: Cool.
Chris Penick: Disney, don't sue me. There you go. um So, all right. so Chris, all right Since we talk a lot about learning, we talk a lot about skills. so Tell me. Is there a skill?
Chris Penick: that you've learned or or a topic. or yeah that you've always wanted to learn that. from an adjective. standpoint. is not necessary You know, one might...
Chris Penick: Yeah. Call it useless. even.
Chris Minnick: Those are my favorite my favorite things to learn, actually.
Chris Penick: yeah Okay.
Chris Minnick: But ah yeah, I mean, most recently, like.
Chris Penick: Okay
Chris Minnick: ah we We did a trip to Scotland last summer. and I would just, I set out a goal of being able to solve Rubik's cube. Like by the time we got back, just kind of, you know, a lot of flights and there's my, you see it right there.
Chris Penick: Oh yeah, yeah, I see it right back there. Wait, we need our our fancy high -tech arrows again.
Chris Minnick: There it is. Mm hmm. Yeah.
Chris Penick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Minnick: Yeah, and... you know, i i could do it and it was you know it was a good thing to learn something to impress the kids with there in Scotland. and something to, you know.
Chris Minnick: Keep me...
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: Like... I keep my brain working.
Chris Penick: All right. Okay. so So you didn't feel guilty about it or anything like that? You didn't feel like, why am I spending my time on this thing that... you know, from, ah you know if If I was listening to you know my father when you were you deciding what to major in in college or whatever, how dare you you know major in Rubik's Cube solving or something?
Chris Penick: you know it it it didn't like,
Chris Minnick: Ha ha.
Chris Penick: No.
Chris Minnick: Shut up.
Chris Penick: No?
Chris Minnick: I should have done that it would have been better yeah
Chris Penick: Should have done a room excuse. all but Because yeah yeah sometimes i think I think as adults, when we learn something, anything, you know if we don't see an objective... purpose for it.
Chris Penick: We consider it. why are Why are we doing it? you know So I guess maybe maybe useless is not the right word, but... um may not be economically useful. How's that? you know, or
Chris Minnick: i have I have some theories on this, actually. this' this It's a great question.
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: ah And I think now at the age that I'm at, I'm 54, I don't worry about doing things that are... um whether they're useful or useless when i was in my 20s i was
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: hyper aware of whether something something I was doing was useful or useless. I, when in my 20s, refused to return the shopping carts to the shopping cart corrals because it was such a waste of my time.
Chris Penick: Okay, so so in your 20s, you're saying you were a little bit of a jerk.
Chris Minnick: And now I'm embarrassed about that.
Chris Penick: Just a...
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Sorry, I'm passing judgment now.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: There you go.
Chris Minnick: No, I was I totally was
Chris Penick: So. Yeah, that that that won't pass for was it Aldi or whatever where you have to put the little quarter in to get the
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Yeah, so it won't happen. You'll lose your quarter that way. so
Chris Minnick: In my defense, I lived in Texas at the time. Those parking lots were huge.
Chris Penick: Ha ha! Okay, I can see it.
Chris Minnick: So...
Chris Penick: There you go.
Chris Minnick: Okay.
Chris Penick: Yeah. I mean, you have to like plan your day about when you're going to take the cart back.
Chris Minnick: And it was hot.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: so okay that makes sense all right so I...
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Penick: I... Okay, then let's not call this useless, maybe fun. might be the thing. and And so what I'm... seeing or what you know what i've gone to look at.
Chris Penick: i I've been there. I felt guilty. like
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: you know spending time on uh to the point where i kind of lost some of those things that gave me joy you know so it's what i'm thinking is We need to reframe that. And so I want to talk about that of, you know, as adults, even, you know, whether you're a 20 year old adult or you're a 50 year old adult, I think there are some, the act of learning it.
Chris Penick: you know, it's it's going to exercise your attention. It's going to. Your persistence, your coordination, it's going to get you. Imagination, confidence. social skills, all those can come out of learning.
Chris Penick: silly skills, I think. So.
Chris Minnick: I love this. I love this topic. and um You know, I think the title of this episode should be Do we have to know this?
Chris Penick: Yeah. Yeah. oh How many times as a teacher have I heard that one?
Chris Minnick: Yes.
Chris Penick: Okay, there you go.
Chris Minnick: Yes.
Chris Penick: And and and I think then the good answer is no. but you'll enjoy it. Maybe that.
Chris Minnick: Yeah!
Chris Penick: yeah, it so
Chris Minnick: I love it.
Chris Penick: Right, yeah, so it's it's the... i I think it's... Having, you know, you could call these maybe hobby skills, but even then I'm thinking of things that aren't hobbies, like in our challenge.
Chris Penick: You have challenged me to learn to spin a basketball. I i don't see any... future a Resume building. things coming out of that but I will tell you it has been.
Chris Penick: a Gloriously fun experience.
Chris Minnick: That's awesome.
Chris Penick: getting laughed at. As I attempt to do this, as I watch my wife panic. you know it's like watching you know the jump scares in a horror movie because I start to spin it and I think I've got it.
Chris Minnick: Hehehehehehe.
Chris Penick: And then nope, it goes off in some random direction. And she's like, Oh no. the the dishes or whatever or the glasses oh no the wine cart no whatever it's like no
Chris Minnick: Yeah. yeah
Chris Penick: So it immediately jumps to defend wherever it's going. So it's getting an exercise for her too, which is kind of a.
Chris Minnick: Yeah, that's awesome.
Chris Penick: a balance there So... i i did some looking on this and one thing i found that like you know and And I think we all... may know this is that hobbies Or...
Chris Penick: silly skills. useless skills. Now there's a big trend of what they call cottage. Skills, have you heard of this?
Chris Minnick: Oh.
Chris Penick: No, it's like I Well, it's like... knitting or um you know the things that we think grandma would do how's that maybe
Chris Minnick: Okay. cottage skills. That's sweet.
Chris Penick: Cottage skills, you know or you know my my son just he's he
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Penick: He's the one that's interested interested in anime. So he's now, he's made some of his own costumes. And so by necessity has. wanted to learn about sewing. in order to repair or make those costumes work.
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: So as he makes some superhero or whatever, or some anime character.
Chris Minnick: Awesome.
Chris Penick: so I guess what we're looking at is like that The studies that I saw, and and I'll put links there. Nobody wants really. all these resources, all all that, but.
Chris Penick: you know, We've got places like even Harvard saying. If you participate in a hobby. no matter what age. They're seen. better health, better happiness.
Chris Penick: fewer depressive systems.
Chris Minnick: Cool. Yeah
Chris Penick: you know uh just higher Life. satisfaction on whatever scale and especially in an older adults okay so this strikes me you know as my mother turns a certain age i'm not allowed to quote how old she is.
Chris Penick: um But, you know.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: So. But... i You know. i This is, again... I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV. So I'm i'm just going to say everything I bring up here is only from.
Chris Penick: you know, what I've read and it's, it's, it's association, not necessarily proof of outcome, you know, but so I'm going to, but I'm going to advocate for silly hobbies, silly activities.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: So I mean, All right, what else? What else makes you...
Chris Minnick: unless Unless your silly hobby is like... Meth. And that.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: you know that you know then maybe it doesn't like help you
Chris Penick: Okay, yeah, we we may.
Chris Minnick: Like.
Chris Penick: Well, that goes under our challenge rules, right?
Chris Minnick: Extend your life.
Chris Penick: right we we we
Chris Minnick: But then like riding a motorcycle, you know, that another. silly hobby that doesn't extend your life.
Chris Penick: doesn't extend your life, but
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: It doesn't necessarily shorten it. And actually, yeah my brother, he's a...
Chris Minnick: Statistically speaking...
Chris Penick: Well... he goes on He goes on these very, he has, as he said, you have to learn to lay the motorcycle down.
Chris Minnick: i dont
Chris Penick: So he has done that once or twice.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: He had one scare but he goes on tours through i think it's north carolina there's some road there that's popular with the motorcycle folks.
Chris Minnick: oh
Chris Penick: and I. We'll have to bring him in. We'll have to ask. There you go. there you go how how do you learn that's it we got another one okay so
Chris Minnick: There you go. Let's do it. Yep.
Chris Penick: I... Alright. Well, so what makes... some skill or some activity. play or silly rather than Just another obligation. I mean what what what would make it?
Chris Penick: you know I have an obligation to learn certain things for my job.
Chris Minnick: Yep.
Chris Penick: What what? What separates that for you? You have things you have to learn.
Chris Minnick: Yeah, I think you know this is... i've taught I've taught classes with you, and you know that I'm always trying to introduce play into every... into every class. It's like Okay, we're going to apply this. We're going to develop some kind of game. We're going to make a game.
Chris Minnick: We're going to make a ridiculous website. We're going to do something. That's... you know Not in the course we're here. that's not dry that's something that's you know funny where you get to exercise your creativity in learning this thing And so for me.
Chris Minnick: the ability to exercise your creativity. getting people involved in. putting a piece of themselves into it.
Chris Penick: Oh, that's a good one.
Chris Minnick: is like...
Chris Penick: We need to come back to. Okay. Sorry. Just making mental note. Keep going.
Chris Minnick: Yeah. i think turns turns teach the the learning of anything in the play and i think that's the ideal situation but i mean just Back to your original question.
Chris Minnick: it the learning to learn things just for the fun of learning it. is something uh that. I.
Chris Minnick: Where was I going? I mean, doing the that, it's important.
Chris Penick: You need to learn to follow where you're going.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: There you go.
Chris Minnick: yeah i and Yeah, I need to follow, learn to learn to follow where it was that I was going with my response. And what was your question? No, just kidding.
Chris Minnick: ah but
Chris Penick: Wait, have you had the wine yet tonight? That's what I'm curious about.
Chris Minnick: No, I have not.
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: but
Chris Penick: Oh, see that's why it's not working.
Chris Minnick: I...
Chris Penick: the way
Chris Minnick: No.
Chris Penick: I think that's a key part of our our banter back and forth is the fact that you have wine and i've just had my i'm so i'm I'm finishing up my coffee for the day. So I'm coming off the caffeine high.
Chris Minnick: I know, but you're... you're three yeah
Chris Penick: and You know? And you're headed in.
Chris Minnick: You're three hours ahead of me. So
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: I can't start drinking at two in the afternoon. People might think that I like to drink a lot.
Chris Penick: wait Well, it's a hobby.
Chris Minnick: Yeah. It is.
Chris Penick: Okay. Heh heh. Yeah. All right. All right. Well, okay, so so then Does a silly or a fun skill. Does it need to be easy? Does it have to be easy?
Chris Minnick: Um, I don't think so, but it's so much harder to learn silly fun skills silly fun skills that are not. easy.
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: And so... you know I'd say something like... a Solving a Rubik's Cube is Very manageable. You know, you can learn that. and Few days.
Chris Penick: See. Okay. All right. We'll see. So now I... I think that might be subjective though. because I know people who I've talked to about this and I know that right there are literally there are formulas that if you once you learn the correct sequence of moves you can take it even almost do it blindfolded if you're given the initial state of the Rubik's Cube then you can close your eyes and go and you're there
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Minnick: I couldn't do that, yeah.
Chris Penick: I couldn't do that yet, but I i do know people who do. um I don't know people who have... one you know the second where they do it in like three seconds you know i don't know that but
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Penick: you know, That's... So I think some people would say, yeah, that sounds pretty challenging to me. So I think. I mean where I would put it in there is that I think it's got the activity has to give you a clear challenge.
Chris Penick: to your level of expectation, to your level of enjoyment. that
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: In the sense like... my wife has tried to teach me to crochet. She loves to crochet.
Chris Minnick: oh
Chris Penick: She's very good at it. Um... But even she will come across like she'll find a pattern out there and it's, you know, stitches, I guess that's what they call it, that she hasn't done before.
Chris Penick: So there's there's always this little... Uphill challenge and she is not afraid and this is i think the the part
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: That. she Failure's not a verdict on her crochet skills.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: That's so Okay, so do you... You've already talked about what play adds to this, but...
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Do you think... I mean, how how does the fact that, you know, a silly skill, I mean, Can we use it for other learning?
Chris Penick: And that you just could have put that. with it. um you know You said creating. and putting a piece of yourself.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Okay. so is there all right All right, well, let's, okay, let's take juggling. all right is there any sort of like
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Penick: Mental work. hiding inside of juggling or something you think or learning a card trick or learning I mean, we know like with music, you, you. mathematicians and musicians tend to go together but i'm wondering with juggling i'm wondering with You mentioned the Rubik's Cube.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Well, the ARC.
Chris Minnick: Well, we do this one. when people are teaching physics, and you look at like, you know, the, the great sort of science popularizers, like, you know, Carl Sagan, and and Feynman and they're always like playing and always like
Chris Penick: Feynman.
Chris Minnick: introducing things that are not. Um, you know, normally thought of as physics to teach physics and juggling fits in right there, of course.
Chris Penick: Mm hmm.
Chris Minnick: ah where you can teach about you know gravity and... uh you know Newt. Newtonian physics with juggling.
Chris Penick: if
Chris Minnick: you know
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: and so yeah i would say you know and that's sort of a standard you know, like. kindergarten way to teach, right?
Chris Penick: Yeah
Chris Minnick: um And I think that's also. you know in in the four dummies books ah which I write a lot, I try to integrate that kind of thing, you know, just like demonstrations that are outside of the world of whatever the topic I'm writing about at the time.
Chris Minnick: is.
Chris Penick: Well, like, okay. i for Yeah, exactly.
Chris Minnick: But...
Chris Penick: Like you, I love. we have a you know one of the other instructors we work with and, you know, the the socks. exchange instead of the stock exchange, right?
Chris Minnick: ah Yeah.
Chris Penick: a website where we can you know find those missing socks or we can Give.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: put the when you have one of a sock you can take it to the sock exchange and get it exchanged for
Chris Minnick: Right.
Chris Penick: Something that matches. That's beautiful. I love it it. Always. The students always pick that up and they go, oh, so.
Chris Minnick: ha ha
Chris Penick: I think what you get out of that, because it's it's kind of a dad joke too, you know, running through it, but. They have to go through everything. And I'm thinking like with the juggling, you know, you get. So you get attention, obviously, and attention is always the hardest.
Chris Penick: one of the hardest things for many of us and study i won't say it's the hardest thing for someone some people may have really good attention but you know, there's
Chris Minnick: yeah
Chris Penick: it's like with juggling like I mean, there's there's a whole there's a whole like error. checking loop in there, right? You throw it up.
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: And you notice what happens? and it did you didn't get to your other hand in time okay well don't do that again next throw all right let's try it again so it's this continual loop
Chris Minnick: Yeah. So you're learning about life there too. Very important life lessons.
Chris Penick: Oh man. Thank you. This has been Deep Thoughts with Chris and Chris.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: There you go.
Chris Minnick: Mm -hmm.
Chris Penick: Yeah, exactly. It's true. I like it. Okay, but the feedback, I think with... It's it's the feedback is a little bit different. here. And, you know, that the feedback's immediate. with a lot of things we think of these silly skills like that.
Chris Penick: Shh.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: You and me making me do the basketball, dude. The feedback's immediate, and it's immediate not just for me, it's for the whole thing.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: house You know, they're like, oh, no, dad's trying to spin the basketball again.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: Everybody get the pillows, cover things up.
Chris Minnick: I love that.
Chris Penick: all right so
Chris Minnick: i I just get when when ah when I try to practice drawing, it's just Jill's like, oh, no, Chris is trying to draw again. I got to hide my eyes.
Chris Penick: Hide my eyes.
Chris Minnick: Oh, the terror, the terror.
Chris Penick: For... for for For our listeners. Jill is a master artist and and has been has trained you know it with very very prestigious art schools so Yeah, I could see it might hurt a little bit when she says this.
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Penick: Okay, so Alright. Well, then. Could silly do you think that? Silly learning. silly task could help. people become better learners in general.
Chris Penick: you know what i mean
Chris Minnick: Yeah, I think the more the more you learn. The more you practice learning, the better you become at learning, right? I think. And if you, you know, if all you're. if If you're constantly just absorbing things, if your life is...
Chris Minnick: I. you know Just. Watch. tv shows you know i you know and I consume, consume, consume without like. actually learning anything new then you get out of practice with learning things and a lot of people you know, associate learning with high school. and They're like, I'm done with high school. I'm not going to learn something.
Chris Minnick: And you know, but. Like learning could be, you know. Learn to. ah Make. coffee better learn to
Chris Penick: o
Chris Minnick: uh you know fix your own socks
Chris Penick: I speak in my language now.
Chris Minnick: Learn to, you know. uh I don't know. Dance. some kind of jig
Chris Penick: There you go
Chris Minnick: But neither, you know. So many, so many things to learn.
Chris Penick: We should all be dancing jigs on a regular basis. I like it.
Chris Minnick: Exactly!
Chris Penick: i like it
Chris Minnick: nothing
Chris Penick: So even even even on my arthritic knees, I'm going to do it. i'll i'll I'll dance a jig.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: There you go. I will do it. well that So, okay. So... I like that. I like that a lot. then all right Wow. What about... when progress gets slow.
Chris Penick: you know, I mean, I see people like collect hobbies, you know, where they go through and they they go, all right, they try this. Like they tried.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: they tried the rubik's cube and they couldn't they weren't good at it right away So they just, you know, now it's sitting on the shelf, like maybe my little kitschy shelf back here or something, you know? Okay. I mean, I don't know how many times I've bought a learn to draw. Set.
Chris Penick: you know our
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: I mean I think I have enough ah paint -by -number collections just to get you started.
Chris Minnick: Oh man, we've all got these things, right?
Chris Penick: well you
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: So, so many of them. and Yeah, I... do you Do you feel bad about all the things that you've tried to learn and then put aside? or Stopped. trying to learn and do you still like Do you still say, oh, I'm. I'm working on learning XYZ.
Chris Minnick: But it's something you haven't like even like. Psst. taken a step towards in the last 10 years
Chris Penick: Yep. Okay, okay, see, so... You're right. Right. So, yeah, the question was introduced to be guilty as charged a little bit here. It's like there's a little bit I think many of us probably go. And and again.
Chris Penick: I can only speak for myself here on this is that I have gone through the thought. Why am I not good at this yet? This looks simple. I mean... from i don't know Doing a pull -up.
Chris Penick: It's like, okay, I know what you have to do. I mean, that's that's a more... you know physically demanding you know Logically, I know, okay, you got to get enough muscle. You have to have enough muscle to lift the weight that you are.
Chris Penick: We won't comment about that right now. um But, you know, it it so it's. I have a hard time doing this. and i want to you know if anybody's people listening to this i think it helps to reframe that i think it has to become
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: why am I not good at this has to become something like. What did the last try or the last attempt? teach me about The next attempt what what?
Chris Penick: you know, Why are, you know, people, whether it's. It kind of has to do with habits, too.
Chris Minnick: Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.
Chris Penick: you know, is that. Oh, great. There you go. So, yeah, I mean, I don't know about you, but I have trouble. with all those good habits and I'll go for a run and it's You know, I've gone for like.
Chris Penick: you know where i was gonna i was gonna do push -ups every morning i remember doing that and i did and i and i went for like months and then You make the excuse one time.
Chris Minnick: Mm hmm.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: And then your your brain says, well, you made the excuse one time. That oh you weren't feeling well today or you you know And now that becomes the second day that I go, well, you said you were as okay not to the first day.
Chris Penick: So I know that's a whole nother topic. thats That's something we can get into.
Chris Minnick: That's what I was going to say.
Chris Penick: yeah
Chris Minnick: That's going to be a whole different show.
Chris Penick: That's a whole thing because, you know, yeah, obviously.
Chris Minnick: yeah I can go down that one for a while.
Chris Penick: It takes effort. to learn. anything. whether the physical or mental effort.
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: you know to learn anything But... You know, we're, we're focusing on. Okay. So. What about...
Chris Minnick: But learning. Yeah.
Chris Penick: Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead
Chris Minnick: I was going to say learning these silly, you know, what we're calling silly skills is something like that.
Chris Penick: you
Chris Penick: Mm -hmm.
Chris Minnick: It makes you, you know, it makes you a more interesting person. You know, if we just, if if you, you know, there's not really ever. not a reason to learn something silly.
Chris Minnick: in In my opinion, I mean, like the basketball spinning, if you take that, for example. You are going to be such a hit at parties when you pull out your basketball.
Chris Penick: When I finally do it. It might be a year from now.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: This might not fit into a 30 -day challenge.
Chris Minnick: Ha ha. Yeah.
Chris Penick: but you know i
Chris Minnick: Now I know.
Chris Penick: I've been trying. I have been trying.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: i i have I am absolutely impressed. with your selection of Of, yes, I completely, I thought, oh, that'll be.
Chris Minnick: i knew I knew that you were feeling that way.
Chris Penick: That's all they do, right?
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: But...
Chris Minnick: Yep.
Chris Penick: I think what that's part of it too with these silly...
Chris Minnick: oh
Chris Penick: skills, right? Is that you may it Part of the satisfaction is making it look easy. Right
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: uh my uh i i just remember like you know my my my oldest daughter we some company picnic and they had a little hula hoop contest and this silly skill comes out of nowhere. I didn't even know she could, but she was just.
Chris Penick: You know, it was how many you could do how long you could do she had like a stack of hula hoops on her little
Chris Minnick: That's awesome. So she had, oh, sweet.
Chris Penick: i mean i think she was like 12 at the time and and you know ah she's just going like crazy
Chris Minnick: Uh huh.
Chris Penick: and you know did really well so it's like some of them just sort of
Chris Minnick: That's awesome.
Chris Penick: You know, they're they just kind of come out of nowhere. And you're like, where where did that come from?
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Because it certainly didn't get coordination from me. So I'm wondering. but how she felt after that. even even when she didn't you know go all the way and become the champion on it. She was still...
Chris Penick: Surprised herself, I guess you could say. So I think it gave her sort of a confidence and I noticed.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: She went to more. active thing. So you do you think, I mean, do you think movement confidence, you know, so we're talking, let's talk physical skills for a second here, you know, like the basketball.
Chris Minnick: That's cool.
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: I mean, do you think it matters? I mean... What do you think?
Chris Minnick: Nah. No, I'm just joking.
Chris Penick: No. i Know it's like could I could I try to lead they lead an answer anymore. There we go. But now yeah, no go for it
Chris Minnick: No, I, no, i I mean, I, you know. um Most of my life, I am just. a head attached to a pile of flesh and bones that is like surgically attached to my chair.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: and that's you know and so um I do try, like... to make an effort to do actual physical things ah And, you know, whether they're silly or they're Not silly.
Chris Minnick: ah You know, I. I try to... pick up When I pick up new school skills, I consider that. And a lot of times people will say, oh, you should learn this new. software and I'll say, no.
Chris Minnick: No, um you know, if I'm just like, i you know.
Chris Penick: No
Chris Minnick: Looking for something to learn. I'll be like No, I'd rather go learn to... you know, play like um curling, you know, go you know.
Chris Minnick: There's not a lot of curling happening. and
Chris Penick: Not a lot of curling well Canada
Chris Minnick: my town, but
Chris Penick: That was actually...
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: when I went on a company trip to ah Toronto and that was one of the
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: activities they had us all do and let's just say uh i am not a natural
Chris Minnick: Yeah? Ah, sweet.
Chris Penick: born curler
Chris Minnick: Mm hmm.
Chris Penick: But it was fun nonetheless.
Chris Minnick: swish swish swish swish swish swish
Chris Penick: We had a lot of fun. you know i spent more time on the ice than clearing it i think but It was.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: you know You're looking at somebody who doesn't ice skate very well either. So you're not on skates.
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Penick: That's a good thing, you know.
Chris Minnick: You're not on skates. That's right.
Chris Penick: you're not on skates you're you're you're on shoes that they you're supposed to help you grip a little bit. to a point. So it was, that was a very, yeah, so that was great.
Chris Minnick: You might hurt yourself.
Chris Penick: and I got to say that.
Chris Minnick: Hmm?
Chris Penick: Made the rest of our because we were there For... A bunch of trainers teaching other trainers. So... It did make the rest of our, it was one of the first things we did and it made the rest of our event.
Chris Penick: Because. I guess egos.
Chris Minnick: Oh yeah.
Chris Penick: had gotten knocked down.
Chris Minnick: Cause you can like. Yeah.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: Totally.
Chris Penick: So... Okay, so... Yeah, so I think yeah there's something about a physical challenge then that it does that, because i've I've definitely been, I won't say humiliated, but I've been humbled.
Chris Minnick: That's awesome.
Chris Penick: by this activity.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: Okay, so
Chris Minnick: That's so cool.
Chris Penick: you know, Eh. I mean, What? So what do you think then? Adults could... Yo. Can what can they learn from so I think when we talk about physical stuff we're talking we we probably think kids like learning to jump rope and all that and that's all you We want that. We want them to go there. but you know, Is there...
Chris Penick: What do you think adults get out of like... so finding something, choosing something that they might. the be bad at initially. you know You think?
Chris Minnick: Well, I...
Chris Penick: There's any benefit to that?
Chris Minnick: I mean, absolutely. and i think um I mean, especially the physical skills, like for people like you and I, we are, you know, knowledge workers, you know, and we, you know, we, we don't do anything and we're, you know.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: are We are so...
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: you know out of shape And. ah And i I guess maybe I speak for myself. mean
Chris Penick: No, no, you no.
Chris Minnick: I assume. you know
Chris Penick: youre you're you're preaching to You're preaching to the choir right now.
Chris Minnick: I assume you are too because, you know, ah because our lives are the same.
Chris Penick: It's okay. It's okay. Yeah there you go so
Chris Minnick: Uh... um but I...
Chris Penick: One of us is the bizarro version of the other one.
Chris Minnick: I...
Chris Penick: That's all. i don't know
Chris Minnick: Yeah, well it goes both directions, right?
Chris Penick: Yeah. Right. Yeah.
Chris Minnick: I'm into the bizarro person bizarro a Superman or then, you know bizarro
Chris Penick: So.
Chris Penick: Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Minnick: The other one is bizarro, right?
Chris Penick: Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Wait, that was another deep thought.
Chris Minnick: by
Chris Penick: there we we need to Do you remember so Saturday Night Live used to have deep thoughts with Jack Handy?
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Minnick: Yeah, right.
Chris Penick: Yeah, we need a section here.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: Deep thoughts with Chris and Chris.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: There you go. That was deep.
Chris Minnick: But yeah.
Chris Penick: I got the moment.
Chris Minnick: Obviously. i keep I keep a list. Um... Sometimes. Of all the. Like there's these kinds of silly things that I want to learn. uh just because like you'll get i get into my head and the more you start learning these things the more you get into your head that it's possible that you know if i learned to do Like. ah you know, crochet crocheting.
Chris Minnick: this year. Heck, next year I might learn upholstery. you know and and
Chris Penick: That's it.
Chris Minnick: these are you know you say like these are things that are possible and it's not impossible to learn something even though it's something that maybe you haven't been doing you know for the last 40 years there's no reason you can't start
Chris Penick: So I love that I love that so there's I'm gonna give you some like some learning People's words around that because this is that you just led right into one of the points I wanted to make with this this show and that is you in adults
Chris Minnick: all right
Chris Penick: You rebuild. what's called beginner tolerance. Right. You become. You're more comfortable at asking. Basic questions because you have to ask basic questions if you're learning to crochet it's like okay. Wait, where does the hook go? And why is there wait?
Chris Penick: Knitting's got two things. How come I only get one?
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: boy what am i i mean what's with the chopsticks and knitting you know it's like And then youre you become better. practicing in public because you've got to.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: For most of these, I learned to skateboard, man. I mean, shoot. you'll you'll be practicing in public and you know actually get applauded when a trick doesn't work sometimes or whatever in so getting corrected receiving that correction and separating performance today.
Chris Penick: from your potential. from where you can be. tomorrow. I think.
Chris Minnick: man.
Chris Penick: That.
Chris Minnick: That's great.
Chris Penick: Oh, that was a deep one.
Chris Minnick: Yep.
Chris Penick: Sorry. I didn't mean, like I got deep again.
Chris Minnick: No, that's awesome. I love it
Chris Penick: Cause I mean, that's it.
Chris Minnick: Yes.
Chris Penick: That's the thing is that, that that's what I really do feel that's hard for a lot of us. And I know I'm just generally.
Chris Minnick: Oh totally.
Chris Penick: generalizing for personal experience. But, you know. from what I've seen with other students in our courses. so All right, so
Chris Minnick: It's the hardest thing in the world. A lot of people who consider the themselves an expert in some domain. are really afraid to show that they're an expert in all domains.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: oh yeah we should we could that that's a whole nother show we could talk about imposter syndrome right and the the when you are the expert and you know oh yeah i go through
Chris Minnick: ah Yeah. Mhm.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Yeah. Okay. Well, that's again, another show. We could talk about this, you know, being when you do feel like you have mastery. So, all right.
Chris Minnick: Yep.
Chris Penick: Well then, okay. So for these silly skills, then. What? Could we... come up with? How could we like define success with like maybe like a within a time frame like ah like a one week or where we do our 30 -day challenge.
Chris Penick: but or a one month challenge or something like that.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: I mean, what... what could we what How would we define success in there? because you know we're a very success driven society
Chris Minnick: I...
Chris Penick: you know
Chris Minnick: I think people have to define success. you know based on something some sort of metric but Um, I always define success by. Alright.
Chris Minnick: Someone. made a someone bet me that i couldn't do couldn't learn something
Chris Penick: Ha ha! I could win a bar bet.
Chris Minnick: And then...
Chris Penick: There you go.
Chris Minnick: I win the bet And so. You know, that's how I define success a lot of times when I'm learning things. or you know, some some new silly skill. is like a card trick you know somebody's like i bet you you can't you know blah bla blah blah blah
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: And then I'll, you know. learn that that that trick whatever and um win the bet. get five five bucks or a beer
Chris Penick: Okay, all right, I like that that's a it's a good built -in motivation to it. There you go. All right. I I'm thinking that you've got to, I like before and after I should have. Taken.
Chris Penick: I regrettably have not taken much video from the beginning because I was embarrassed. With the... Thing I so I have said
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: For the ball basketball spin, I'm going to... So my wife. I got her agreed and said, all right, you're going to have to document it. You're going to have to every time I try. So, yeah, but just to look at the one before, you know, even if it's just a day or two, a week or two.
Chris Minnick: Yeah, totally
Chris Penick: You know, or yeah with with crocheting, all you've got something. physical that comes out of it or with drawing, with sketching. you know, i my daughters. school in art classes i love that they keep a sketchbook journal So they can go back from their four years at the school.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Minnick: Oh wow, that's cool.
Chris Penick: from the very beginning and see each year. the you their progression with different techniques and what they've done. and Yeah.
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: That's right. You've got to sort of track it.
Chris Minnick: That's awesome.
Chris Penick: You've got to keep... some sort of metric i you know anything anything fun i like the social aspect of it though so you know here i thought this was going to be a really short topic and it's fun you and i we can dive into this real big so i'm thinking
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Penick: Alright. I'm going to just throw out some of my... things here. I think... Um, you know for folks to choose some sort of skill. That.
Chris Penick: Fits their life. you know Just something fun. without turning it into another sort of... overwhelming to do project. you know it's it's you know um
Chris Minnick: Mm -hmm
Chris Penick: So I like. Some questions really so one does it make me curious? can i start it cheaply we've you and i are hey we're all about the do it right can i practice it like
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Yep.
Chris Penick: Five to ten minutes. Maybe something like that. um is there some sort of clear first metric or milestone. like learning to do a specific stitch
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Solving one side. of the Rubik's Cube from memory.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: you know um Can you do it safely?
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: we got to keep We got to keep doing that. That's just, you know, keep...
Chris Minnick: Gotta keep it safe, I guess.
Chris Penick: keep Yeah, keep our insurance.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: I mean, so that good I get that with the motorcycle. my My brother would argue that he does it safely. you know he's had
Chris Minnick: Oh, I'm sure he does.
Chris Penick: training.
Chris Minnick: You know, there's there's safe ways.
Chris Penick: sir He wears all his... his Armor I mean and everything looks like something out of Power Rangers or whatever when he's you know going to ride
Chris Minnick: Yeah. Mm hmm. huh cool
Chris Penick: Um... but you know so Okay, so I think one thing we could do. is make sure we we we put some ideas in the comments of things you know all kinds of things. And whether you want it for.
Chris Penick: You know categories here so like there's objects you know like I don't know, cup stacking or yo -yoing or... you know i used to be pretty good with the yo -yo maybe i should try that again
Chris Minnick: huh
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: So or, you know. Then there's... movements you know from complicated as rock climbing to just you know yeah do the hula hoop whatever go learn to do salsa or um
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: For. Craft I guess right i'm trying to categorize some things
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: Origami, I don't know. um Clay, pottery.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Balloon animals. There you go. There's a good one. um Performance we know. There's always somebody wants, you know for magic or music or
Chris Minnick: So you're making some categories kind of thing?
Chris Penick: in. Yeah, I'm trying to keep so because I want to I wanna hear from people.
Chris Minnick: that's
Chris Penick: Alright. just Just pick one, something simply. Or if you've got a better idea, I want to hear. I just want to hear what's in there. And. you know if it's like One. magic okay so learn one card effect or if it's you want to learn to I don't know.
Chris Penick: You want to pick up the drums. That's not really a silly skill as far as I'm concerned. I i think i don't think any of these skills are really silly.
Chris Minnick: No.
Chris Penick: I think they don't have a...
Chris Minnick: No.
Chris Penick: yeah I think that we're talking about things without a necessary obvious commercial. application maybe so
Chris Minnick: Yeah, I love the i love the whole... um you know, I love just seeing what people I know can do and like. you know our our viewers if you have some kind of silly skill show us i've got you know i've got a friend here in town um I was organizing this this event a few years ago, and I was just looking for people who had...
Chris Minnick: Like. you know, um freak talents. um i was putting on a freak show i've put on a freak show i'll i'll tell you about that sometime but
Chris Penick: Oh, we got to do that. That's a whole nother show. There you go. The freak show.
Chris Minnick: But I just... I would just ask everyone, is is there something that you can do that you know other people can't do that's you know impressive and something you know with your body or whatever and this one friend of ours can fit her entire fist into her mouth And.
Chris Minnick: And that was like.
Chris Penick: I knew a girl would do that.
Chris Minnick: her her you know her uh her
Chris Penick: That's her oppressive skills skill, huh?
Chris Minnick: impressive skill and so that's something you know like maybe you know A person could work toward that.
Chris Penick: i I that was that was an icebreaker that when I met someone that that's what she did.
Chris Minnick: oh
Chris Penick: She said, yeah, I can fit my fist into my mouth. And it we were all like. Oh! Okay. Nice, we're gonna be friends with you. There you go. um And then I think someone else did you know, like they could bend their tongue into like a w and i mean yeah see those are great those are sure i don't know if some of those might be genetic you can't necessari necessarily practice but still
Chris Minnick: Awesome.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: But there are things, I mean, like.
Chris Penick: Great. See what you can do.
Chris Minnick: Like.
Chris Penick: I can't wiggle my ears.
Chris Minnick: Icon. I can raise one eyebrow at a time.
Chris Penick: Oh, there you go You can do Spock easily right there.
Chris Minnick: And. that's something That's something I worked on. really hard.
Chris Penick: Nice. okay
Chris Minnick: for years.
Chris Penick: Yeah.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Okay.
Chris Minnick: Alright.
Chris Penick: All right.
Chris Minnick: Let's wrap it up, though.
Chris Penick: So... Well, so well let's give them just... a bullet point then, all right? and Because I think we should add one last thing to this, and that is what you just brought up.
Chris Minnick: Yes.
Chris Penick: Make it social. Right? Yeah. I mean, if you want to learn crochet, find a crochet group.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: If you want to learn silly skills, yes. Do your own family, friends, freak show. I love it.
Chris Minnick: hu
Chris Penick: because that's going to be great too. That's going to yet another way to share this and get people out there doing things. So so I don't think it's going to a silly skill is going to necessarily change your career. change your life, but it can change how you relate.
Chris Penick: to practicing anything.
Chris Minnick: Yep.
Chris Penick: right, so and maybe you can you know, so Now you don't. don't need some big justification for ever whatever you do. so We're going to leave everybody with Pick a Skill. something you can do like a five to ten minute Practice 515, maybe.
Chris Penick: Five have somewhere around there. start with something we'll find a tutorial or whatever go look it up Go to your library.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Libraries are great for this. Ask librarians. They love to help on this stuff. whether it's silly or it's or it's deep. They will help you find a book, a video. a Audio tape, whatever you need.
Chris Penick: do people still listen yeah Oh, your tape is coming back. There you go. um And then...
Chris Minnick: Yeah totally.
Chris Penick: Practice go do like do like five different days and see what, you maybe make it a challenge with your friends. I think that would be a good one. There you go. all right
Chris Minnick: Stay flexible.
Chris Penick: Yeah, I got one last thing What if...
Chris Minnick: Yes.
Chris Penick: What should the listeners do though if they fail on every attempt? Like I have been with my... spinning thing.
Chris Minnick: Suck it up buttercup
Chris Penick: Suck it up.
Chris Minnick: That's how life is.
Chris Penick: ah I was going to suggest like, okay, find if you could make that simpler.
Chris Minnick: Oh.
Chris Penick: Maybe if there's some way.
Chris Minnick: m Okay, that's better.
Chris Penick: So I've been trying. I've been trying.
Chris Minnick: ah
Chris Penick: My wife actually, she did this. She corrected on me. She said, okay, well, you've been trying to do like a combination of two things. Get the one part. first. you know which is getting the ball to spin the proper.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Axis. So anyway.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: Okay. All right. Well, I think that's good. Yeah. We wait. We had a lot. for so folks there.
Chris Minnick: Totally.
Chris Penick: Um,
Chris Minnick: Yep.
Chris Penick: And we hope you come and join us. Let us know. Let us know what you tried. I definitely want to see and hear this. And. Now we've got tons of ideas for other things here.
Chris Penick: If you've got some ideas of what you want to talk about.
Chris Minnick: heck yeah
Chris Penick: with learning look at that i do want to find out about chris's freak show that's gonna be there was that There was that one. There was one more that I had to do. for the now see now i'm going to forget let's go back and listen to this again because she yeah there were several that i was like oh i gotta to ask more
Chris Minnick: yeah
Chris Penick: Alright.
Chris Minnick: Yeah.
Chris Penick: All right Well, thank you. so this is i i
Chris Minnick: Alright.
Chris Penick: Chris, DJ Crispy Panic. This is
Chris Minnick: And see money.
Chris Penick: And we're going to say, go out and learn something.
Chris Minnick: Fare thee well. Stay flexible, my friends.
Chris Penick: Hehehehe.
Chris Minnick: Alright. Ciao.
