Thriving in Adulthood: Tips for Learning New Skills

In this episode of Tea with Tanya, we discuss the incredible benefits of learning new skills as adults. From enhancing your mental health to turbocharging your career, you'll discover how keeping your brain active can lead to a more fulfilling life. I'll share my own experiences, including how mastering podcasting gave me newfound confidence and resilience.

The goal is to inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and find joy in learning and growing. We’ll also dive into building skills for professional growth. Hosting this podcast has significantly improved my public speaking, and I'll share tips on overcoming imposter syndrome and finding mentorship. Adopting a growth mindset and setting SMART goals can turn the fear of failure into a catalyst for personal and professional development. So grab a cup of tea and get ready to be inspired to learn something new!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Tea with Tanya. I'm your host, tanya Ambrose, an average millennial navigating life as a maternal health professional, non-profit founder and grad student. Join me in the tea tasting room where we spill the tea on finding balance and promoting positive living while doing it all. Hey friend, welcome back to another episode of Tea with Tanya. You know here we're going to be talking about all things life. Today we're going to be diving into a topic that's close to my heart. But before we get into today's episode, I hope you've done something for yourself within the past week that's going to better yourself, whether it's some form of self-care or making decisions. That's going to better advance your life and, of course, bring more peace and harmony to your life. Today we're going to be diving into a topic that's close to my heart and that's about learning new skills as an adult, whether it's for personal growth, career advancement or simply for the joy of learning. You know, acquiring new skills can be very rewarding. Today we're drinking some peach iced tea, so get your favorite cup and let's get into today's episode.

Speaker 1: 1:12

Okay, I want to tap into the benefits of learning new skills. When you think about it, did you know that picking up new skills can have a positive impact on your mental health. You know, when you engage in continuous learning, it keeps our brains active, it helps us to reduce stress and it even lower the risk of cognitive decline as we age. It's like a workout, but a workout for your mind. For me, I think, about a million and one things per second. I don't know how or why it just happened. I guess I was just blessed with that skill. I'm not sure if it's a skill or not, but when you learn a new skill, the impact that it has on your mental health in a positive way. I've experienced that, I've seen it. So I definitely want to encourage you to think about developing or crafting or coming up with a new skill, learning something new. So one of the benefits is definitely to have a positive impact on your mental health and help to lower the risk of any sort of cognitive decline. That comes with what when we age.

Speaker 1: 2:09

From a professional standpoint, learning new skills can open doors to many new opportunities. You know, in today's fast-paced job market, staying competitive means continually updating and expanding your skill set. Of course it helps to enhance your resume, because we know we got to build that resume, but it also makes you more adaptable to changes in the workplace For me. I often say I remember growing up and I would practice that. I'm in a pageant in my house, never in my entire life entered any sort of show or anything, but I just remember there was a contestant at one point in time. It might've been Kai Davis from Antigua, I can't remember, but I remember them saying that you know what they can adapt and adjust to any environment and for some reason that stuck with me throughout my life and I don't know. It's amazing, the things that we hear but we don't, we don't pay attention to when we were younger, but now that we're older they come back to the forefront. So for me, when you have new skills or you expand, broaden your horizon, it makes you become more adaptable in the workplace from a professional standpoint. But just in general, you're able to adapt and adjust because what you have, the skill set, or even if you may not be as experienced in a particular skill, because of the adaptability, you're able to adjust and just fit in and continue to build and expand. On a personal level, mastering a new skill can boost your confidence and self-esteem. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and it teaches you how to be resilient, because that sense of achievement, my friend, that comes when you learn something new. It's truly empowering For me.

Speaker 1: 3:38

I had no idea what I was doing as a nonprofit founder and I'm going to always go back to that. I had no idea. I still don't know what I'm doing. I had no idea what I'm doing when it came to this podcast. Like I've mentioned before. All I knew was that I don't think I have the face for YouTube and I didn't have any skill set when it came to a podcast. I started recording Tea with Tanya on my phone in the voice memo app on my Samsung Galaxy phone at the time. Now I've got it on iPhone but I don't record there anymore. But I just remember using the voice memo app on my phone to record a podcast episode at my first intro that I had. That came from me recording from my phone and having my younger sister who's into videography and these different things and editing, I had her edit my intro with the music as well. So again, that's a skill that I didn't have. As I continue to record, record, record and realize. You know what I'm doing, all this research, I'm watching YouTube.

Speaker 1: 4:30

It was time for me to get a mic, and I got one of the cheapest mics on Amazon but I was able to gain a skill as it relates to, okay, podcast recording how to take a breath sometimes I still struggle but also how to edit a podcast episode, how to cut out the arms and the eyes and the you know, you know all these different things. So that was a skill that I learned and that boosted my confidence. When it came to Tea with Tanya podcast. Did I like editing all the time? Absolutely not, but that's not nothing to do with. The editing aspect is more. So. I don't like hearing my voice sometimes, which is crazy because I talk to you every week. You know what I mean. But I was able to gain that skill and that made me confident instead of having to find someone to pay at the time who weren't really doing a good job. So that really boosted my self-confidence and my self-esteem. So it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me resilience as well, and you know just feeling empowered. So when you master a new skill, that can boost your confidence and self-esteem, and we always know that that's important in our everyday lives.

Speaker 1: 5:25

The next thing I want to talk about is identifying skills to learn. Now, my friend, you might be wondering what skills should I learn? And this is where it's important for us to reflect and have our self-assessment when it comes to our lives. So you want to think about, or you want to start by evaluating your interests and passions what really excites you, what have you always wanted to learn but never had the chance to? To be quite honest, sometimes, in some instances, it could be the lack of access to certain things, because many things excite us, but do we have the access to do some of the things that we're passionate about? Or we just became so busy with life or had to keep going that we never had the chance to really sit and learn something. So I want to share some ideas with how to get started, so you can get started when it comes to learning something new, and these are things that I've had to do and just something that you can think of as well. Like on a personal level, if you're someone who likes to cook, you know, consider learning a new culinary skill For me.

Speaker 1: 6:21

You cannot tell me that I wasn't a baker. I don't care what nobody say I am. I'm still saying that I am a baker because I'll be out here baking cakes. Sometimes I'll bake a cake from scratch, sometimes I use a box cake. I'm not going to lie to you. I remember one instance. I thought I was the best pastry chef in the universe and I'll shout out to Antiguan's pastry chef as well. You know, shout out to Kendall from the Kendan and to Jakarta from the flaky crust as well. Like you know those two, you can't tell me I'm not them because they, when it comes to pastry, they're bosses. But you know for me.

Speaker 1: 6:58

I remember one time I was baking a cake for Christmas, I think it was, and some reason. I thought I was turning man. I was still a novice. Then I thought I was turning man, I was still a novice. Then I thought I was turning my oven down, but apparently I turned it on the. What is it? I forgot the option on the oven. But whatever it was, the cake caught a fire and it took me a minute to get back into my baking game, because it's like wow, you can't even bake a cake normal because I'm putting the oven on. I think it was boiled.

Speaker 1: 7:24

But the point point is, you know, if you've ever dreamed of, you have to start somewhere, like I would have mentioned in the episode previously. You know you have to start somewhere as well. So if you're someone or you've dreamed about being a chef or you know whatever kind of chef it is, you know there are countless online courses and cooking classes that can help you get started. You know, again, baking is another delightful skill to explore. Imagine creating delicious pastries and bread from scratch. Let me tell you the minute I know how to make bread from scratch and I say know-how because I've done it in the past with my grandmother but the minute that I really tap into that side of myself when baking my own sourdough bread or anything, it's a wrap. It's a wrap and we're going to be adding pastry, so it's a tasting room. That's all good. I imagine myself being. But again, there are countless online courses and cooking classes. Doesn't matter where in the world you are.

Speaker 1: 8:12

You can also utilize social media to find local cooking classes or reach out to someone on Instagram. If you know someone who you admire, you send them a message. Of course you're going to be polite, but of course you know you're not asking them to do something essentially for free, but telling them that you admire them and asking them an opinion. You know it doesn't help because, again, that's a skill that we can learn. You become confident in your kitchen. That's a skill that we can learn. You become competent in your kitchen and, who knows, you may end up enrolling in a course to enhance your skill or just keep practicing, because there are a lot of self-made chefs as well out here. So that's something to think about on a personal level.

Speaker 1: 8:48

Maybe you want to learn a new language. You know apps like Duolingo or classes at your local community center. You know they make these things accessible For me. I'm on my Duolingo or Class is at your local community center. You know they make these things accessible For me. I'm on my Duolingo app. To be honest, I feel like Duolingo are bullies, but the point is because they keep telling me oh, you haven't studied your language for the day. I'm like I'm busy. But again, apps like Duolingo that's the one that I use definitely helps with my Spanish and my French. I'm currently in the process of learning Spanish and French because I want to be fluent in those two languages as well. You know, I've even considered taking up an in-person class. Because of my schedule, I haven't been able to do that yet. I know I have a few friends who are taking a Spanish class and they're doing it online. So, again, they make it. Online classes make it accessible for you to learn a new language.

Speaker 1: 9:34

Maybe you're someone who's drawn to the arts I know my sister's into that. Maybe you want to play a musical instrument. Growing up, I used to go to piano classes. I used to play the recorder and sometimes I wish I can go back to piano classes. It's something I still think about. It was a goal for this summer, but that's not going to happen soon. We'll see what happens this fall. But I want to get back into learning how to play the piano.

Speaker 1: 9:54

It could be painting or any sort of DIY projects, maybe knitting or sewing or drawing. These are things that can be incredibly fulfilling. So think about that on a personal standpoint as well something to do in your spare time. I know many of us became so many different things during the COVID times that capitalize on those skills. You know, for those of you with a green thumb, gardening may be a relaxing and rewarding hobby. I know many of us became gardeners during COVID-19. One of my friends I'm eating tomatoes from her tomato trees, cucumbers, carrots. She has potatoes now because she's been doing that for the season. So you definitely want to think about something like that, because one you can go essentially directly from your farm to table that lifestyle more organic, because you're the one that's growing it. You know what you're doing. You can also explore fitness and wellness through the likes of yoga, pilates or even mindful practices. If you've been listening to this podcast over the last year when it comes to mindfulness practice, that's very important for us here in the tea tasting room. That could be journaling. That could be again through fitness For me. I work out with a trainer three times a week because for me, I have goals as it relates to my body from a physical standpoint, but more so from a health standpoint as well.

Speaker 1: 11:14

If you're someone like my sister, if you enjoy capturing moments, photography might be your calling. I can tell you for sure it is not. It is not my calling. Like me. And photography, please, that is just not in my any of my skills that I have. It's not that I am trying. You know I am here learning about camera settings, composition and photo editing. I mean, I've come along with my photo editing and video editing, but it's not my favorite thing to do and because it's not necessarily a passion per se, I don't make it a priority, but if you are someone who takes really good photos, I encourage you again to start learning about the different camera settings. Like do your research. The most important thing is doing your research and tapping into things that you are talented and passionate about.

Speaker 1: 11:58

Writing and blogging can also be great outlets for creativity and expression. Now, that's up my alley. If you've been working with me from day one, you know I had a blog that was called all about the scrub life. You know I used to write. That was something that I really looked forward to before, before I started the. The podcast as well, and, of course, the blog is coming back, so stay tuned for that.

Speaker 1: 12:21

But these are some creative ways you can express yourself as well and if you want to, if you're like me and you want to improve your confidence in public settings, consider honing your public speaking skills. For me to return your podcast is a way for me to enhance my public speaking skills. It's teaching me how to speak slow when I talk, because I speak really, really fast. I still do on the podcast sometimes, but every time I sit behind this mic, I take a deep breath and I give myself a pep talk. You know what you need to speak slow and clear. Enunciate your words sometimes, because this is how you're going to enhance your public speaking skills. One of my goals is to have public speaking engagements as well, so in order for me to do that, I have to practice here with Unity Tasting Room so that I can continue to hone my skills as well. You know, many of us are content creators on social media, so we have to find ways in which we can enhance that public speaking skills as well.

Speaker 1: 13:10

From a professional standpoint now, there are numerous skills to enhance your career, depending on what your career is in. When you think about digital marketing, that is a powerful field right now, taking over the way of the world you know when you cover things from SEO to social media strategy, that's one big thing. I feel like. I've been on social media for a while. I've taken so many different courses that I should be a pro when it comes to digital marketing. I'm not going to say I'm not a pro, but it's not a big passion of mine, but I made sure I got the skills and took many online classes to know what I'm talking about, know what I'm doing when it comes to my social media.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Data analysis is another in-demand skill. You know that involves tools like Excel and Python. I've been seeing a lot of that on LinkedIn lately as well. So these are some things you can do to enhance your skills from a professional standpoint, depending on what field you're in. If you're like me and I've been seeing on Facebook and these Facebook groups and LinkedIn project management is critical in many, many industries across the globe. So when you have tools like Trello or Asana I do use Asana they can be very beneficial for you and your business and just your.

Speaker 1: 14:18

What is it that you're trying to accomplish as an individual from a professional standpoint? Coding and programming that's a big thing. We're seeing a lot of people transitioning to tech as well. You know whether that's Python. These are some skills that can again open many doors. But I want you to understand again, even though I'm saying some of these skills, it depends on what you're looking for, what you're passionate about and what is it that you want to get out of having these skills.

Speaker 1: 14:42

Because I remember one of my very close friends for me, I've been working in the healthcare field for wow, I'm going to say about 10 years. That's crazy. That's making me sound old, but nevertheless. I've worked as a nursing assistant, I've worked as a patient observation assistant, I've worked as a clinical tech so many different things as it relates to the healthcare, direct patient care system and my current job right now. When I got it, that's like the first step into my dream job and I remember my friend was telling me I was like you know, I was kind of surprised I got this job. But she's like no, you know, I'm a doula as well. And she, I remember my friend telling me you know a lot of the skills that you have with the jobs that you've had in the past. They're all in alignment and they're all aligned and they're all transferable skills. That's what I'm looking for. They're all transferable skills. So you want to ensure that. What is it that you're doing? What skills you're learning? Some can at least be transferable for your next phase of your life or next phase in your career as well.

Speaker 1: 15:44

I won't be Tanya if I didn't talk about public health. We know public health is an incredibly important field, especially in today's world. If you didn't know, we, as public health professionals, we came to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic as well. So it's a very important field in our world. So you can enhance your career by learning about epidemiology, health policy, which is my concentration in my master's in public health program right now, or health education, which I'm also a health educator as well. So there are many online courses and certifications available to you so you can specialize in these areas. Courses and certifications available to you so you can specialize in these areas.

Speaker 1: 16:16

I know for me, from a public health standpoint, I am working on getting more skills when it comes to SAS, because that's a very important thing, especially from an epidemiologic standpoint. So that is one of my things. For me, if I can be transparent with you, I started feeling, you know, developing some imposter syndrome, to be quite honest, because I'm getting ready to graduate in a couple of months and I feel like I don't have enough health policy experience. If I can be honest with you, my friend Granted I do have some experience, but in the overachieving me, I don't feel like I have enough experience. You know what I did. I've been reaching out to my mentors, my professors, explaining how I feel, what I'm looking for, to see how best they can assist me so I can be confident, so that by the time I graduate in May of 2025, I would have been able to enhance some more of my skills in public health as well. So, when I'm ready for my other job, wherever that career take me, even by way of my non-profit I would have been fully equipped and ready as well. So, again, you want to ensure that you're looking for different online courses and certification to help you specialize in areas that you want to take into your next phase of life. You know there's financial management, there's leadership, public relations, sales negotiation, graphic design, cyber security. You know all these are valuable skills in today's job market, if you're being honest. So, each of these areas, they tend to offer any sort of resources and learning opportunities that can help you grow from a professional standpoint.

Speaker 1: 17:41

Next thing I want to talk about is overcoming some common challenges that we may face when it comes to learning new skills. Time management is going to be a major, major hurdle, but, like someone once told me a wise person, it's about quality and not quantity, and I had to learn that the hard way. So, even if you just dedicate about 15 to 30 minutes a day to learning a new skill, that can make a significant difference over a period of time For me. Sometimes I dedicate maybe an hour or two per week to a particular skill, because you have to dedicate the time based on your availability, and sometimes you also have to make the availability for that new skill that you want to learn. So when we talk about consistency, that's what I'm talking about dedicating at least 15 to 30 minutes a day to learning something, because that's going to make a significant difference in your life.

Speaker 1: 18:28

Another challenge, which is one that I've dealt with before, is the fear of failure and, to be honest, it's very natural to feel apprehensive when you're stepping into the unknown Me. Let me tell you one thing I'm going to do I'm going to second guess, I'm going to doubt, I'm going to do all these different things before I take the leap. However, when you adopt a growth mindset that's going to be so significant for you, embrace the mistakes. Like I said, mistakes are simply learning opportunities. Embrace the mistakes as part of the learning process, because each setback is an opportunity to grow and improve. I'm going to say it again Each setback is an opportunity to grow and improve.

Speaker 1: 19:09

I know finding resources can be daunting, but let me tell you we are living in a world of information. It's at our fingertips, literally. There's so many online courses, there's so many books, there's so many workshops that are free. Even these community groups and Facebook and social media can be excellent source for you when it comes to wanting to develop a new skill. So definitely don't hesitate to seek out mentors or join communities of like-minded learners. Like I said, I sent an email to my mentors academically, letting them know what I'm feeling, why I am, as it relates to as I approach graduation, and we've been able to create that relationship now where I'm getting the help that I need so that I can better gain more skills and enhance the skills that I already have in this area, have in this area, in this field of public health.

Speaker 1: 19:55

So I want to talk about the practical steps to start learning and, again, I won't be a public health girl if I didn't mention SMART goals. So how do you really get started? You want to begin by setting clear SMART goals, and when we say SMART goals, we're talking about the goals have to be specific. You got to get real specific with your goals. Okay, they got to be measurable, they got to be achievable, relevant and time-bound. So this provides a clear, a very clear roadmap and helps you to be more focused and keeps you focused.

Speaker 1: 20:24

For me, again, going through my undergrad in public health and we're talking about smart goals and whatnot it only took me about a year and a half ago to make these goals and I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not perfect. Sometimes I fall off the wagon and it can take me a while to get back up. Like you know, I'm climbing back up on the ladder right now. If I can be honest with you when it comes to these things create a learning plan, break down the process into manageable steps, schedule regular sessions. For me, I bought a new journal. Like I mentioned in the previous episode, I bought my new book, and that book is not like my typical journal. That book is, for me, where I create my SMART goals, things that are on my mind, things that I want to work on immediately or long-term. I'm writing it down and I'm breaking them down into a process that they are actually manageable steps. So I do encourage you to do that as well because, again, tracking your progress is very important. So when I look back to a page from two months ago, whatever the case may be, you know it's very important that you can track your progress, to see where you were and where you are. So keep a journal or log of your learning activities. That's going to be very important. And again, like I always mentioned, celebrate your milestones and achievements, no matter how small, because this is going to keep you motivated and reinforce your commitment. Again, you may have whatever skills it may be.

Speaker 1: 21:39

Like I said for me, you can't tell me I'm not the baker. You can't tell me I'm not Jakita or Kendall when it comes to baking. You can't tell me I'm not Chef JJ when it comes to cooking, you just can't tell me that I'm not. You know Gordon Ramsay, for heaven's sake, when it comes to me being in the kitchen, am I them? I'm absolutely not, but I try my best to ensure that when I'm cooking, I'm cooking with love. Whatever I'm doing, I'm putting my heart and mind to it.

Speaker 1: 22:04

With my podcast. Am I the best public speaker? Absolutely not. But am I working on my craft? Day and day Before I record a podcast episode, I've written a script or some bullet points, and you know what I'm doing. I am practicing in the shower to make sure that my tone is right, my diction, my clarity, all these different things is what I try to do before I even come behind this mic. Of course, sometimes it doesn't always translate, because I'm not perfect and the energy I may have in the shower when I'm quote unquote recording the podcast and the energy that I have when I actually get behind the mic sometimes can be different.

Speaker 1: 22:35

But definitely you want to ensure that you just keep a track of, track of your, of your, your learning activities as a founder of a non-profit organization. I'm way so small I'm still deciding okay, how can I get this, that when it comes to the board, how can I maximize funding all these things? So these are new skills that are exciting to me but also sometimes can be challenging. But instead of crying or moping around, what I do? Find an online course or class, reach out to individuals who I know can assist me when it comes to being a better founder CEO, whatever the case may be, just keep working on my skills, dedicating a couple of hours a week to each skill. So definitely want to do that. So, as we wrap up, I want to say that learning new skills as an adult is not only rewarding for mental health benefits, to career advancement, to even personal growth. The advantages are numerous and they're tremendous, but I want you to know that you're going to take one step at a time. We're going to set clear goals, and they're tremendous, but I want you to know that you're going to take one step at a time. We're going to set clear goals and we're going to enjoy the journey. See all what I said today. The most important thing is we want to ensure that we are enjoying the journey. Okay, I would love to hear your feedback and, you know, hear about your learning journeys like what are we doing? What skills are we trying? Are you going to be getting into painting?

Speaker 1: 23:50

For me, another skill I'm not sure if it's a skill per se, but it's reading. I'm trying to read at least two books a month one nonfiction, one fiction, who knows? But I am just trying to read two books a month at least. I found myself starting a book club with two of my coworkers where we meet every two weeks to discuss certain chapters, and that has helped me to. You know, read more, prioritize my time. So, instead of scrolling doom, scrolling on social media, I'm able to now pick up my Kindle or a physical book and I'm reading a few chapters a week because I have something else to look forward to.

Speaker 1: 24:19

So feel free to share your experiences and any tips you might have, and don't forget to like and subscribe and tune into the next episode as well. Thank you for joining me here in the Tea Tasting Room. If you enjoyed this episode, like I said, please subscribe or you can leave a review. Your support truly means the world for me. Until next time, remember to keep learning and keep growing. See you in the Tea Tasting Room next time. My friend, thank you for joining me for another episode of Tea with Tanya. If you liked this episode, be sure to share it with a friend. Don't forget to follow on Instagram at Tea with Tanya. If you like this episode, be sure to share it with a friend. Don't forget to follow on Instagram at Tea with Tanya podcast. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Tea Talk newsletter and, of course, rate on Apple or Spotify and subscribe wherever you listen. See you next time. I love you for listening.