"Effective speed" The more you do it, the better you get at it = the more you'll say "YES" to doing it!

There is a remarkable guy in the Bay Area, Hans Florine,( http://hansflorine.com/indexredirect.html ) and a theme that he speaks about has really resonated with me over the years after just reading it once in a magazine.  In my way of saying it, the more we wholeheartedly do something, the better we get at it, and thus, the more we'll say "YES!" to doing it.  This approach is useful for any person, but especially helpful for folks who are sometimes set in their ways and not enthused about trying something new, avoiding the new for any number of reasons.  That sucks, it won't work, I don't do it that way, I don't have time, I do things this way only, I've never done it...the list goes on.

However, explaining to a client that something that is new can soon be something that is tried and true can sometimes weaken that resolve, and occasionally going "all in" and picking a need as "a hill to die on" to get them to try it is worthwhile.  When doing that, make sure the skill and the client are indeed well-suited to each other, and provide support that perhaps goes above and beyond in order to make this experience work.  Getting real buy in is key, the wholeheartedly thing, because half-baked work and then "See, it didn't work" will stunt the message and growth and the willingness to try other new things.  As always, pointing out even small advances and improved abilities is crucial, giving the client "props" for doing something new and getting better at it, and generally boosting self-confidence and self-awareness with things they have done and have control over is a important tool.

Reading about what colleges to apply to can be boring and intimidating, working on improving job skills while away from work can require extra effort and concentration, searching out possible jobs and crafting cover letters and targeted resumes can be a drag, and asking people to write letters of recommendation or serve as references can take time and effort and be a bit embarrassing, but these are tasks that probably MUST be undertaken sooner than later if people want to keep positive inertia in their lives.  That said, the mental acceptance approach that Hans writes and speaks about and frankly embodies (the guy is a world-class mountain speed climber, among other things) is worth keeping aware of, and perhaps mentioning to clients or people that are struggling with new ways of doing things.  It's pretty simple, but very true, as the best teaching moments often are!