when we hear our own voices, we’re hearing more than the voice that leaves our mouth. We’re also hearing an inner voice, transmitted through vibrations in our bones, resonating in our internal acoustical chambers.

because positive feedback boosts learners’ confidence and motivation, this might be more helpful than repeatedly pointing out what they did wrong, which might just make them more anxious and self-conscious. You can have too much feedback, of course. As learners, we need to make our own mistakes, then figure out a way past them.

In Zen Buddhism, this state is referred to as beginner’s mind. Your mind is ready for anything, open to everything. “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,” writes Shunryu Suzuki. “In the expert’s mind there are few.”

The more we want to learn, the more we prime the brain. The more curious you are to know the answer to a question, the better chance you’ll remember it.

“five-stage model of adult skill acquisition.” From a humble “novice,” skill learners progressed to the “advanced beginner” stage, then on to a sort of midpoint of “competence,” before climbing further to “proficiency,” finally summiting at “expertise.”

Don’t ask if you are happy, he said. Do things that make you happy. Don’t pursue happiness; find happiness in your pursuits. I might only add: Do not worry how well you’re doing them.

Humans seem to perform better in the presence of others.

8. Learning skills helps open new worlds. Infants who learn to walk can suddenly go more places and do more things. This is a lesson we should carry through life.

5. Your progress may not be linear. Learning happens in fits and starts. Stages are only rough benchmarks. Development does not always march uniformly in one direction.