Mastery Takes Time
The intersection right in front of my house will be completely redesigned over the coming month. A central median will be added for safer crossings, the crosswalk is being relocated, and the current bump in the road just before the intersection will be leveled out. This means you won’t be blinded by oncoming headlights at night anymore. It’ll take a month of taking a detour, but in the end, the intersection should be much safer.
However, that month of construction isn’t the only time the municipality has spent on this project. The preparations surely began months ago, but now, in the weeks leading up to the work, it’s clear that something’s about to happen. Letters have been sent to inform residents. Signs have been put up to redirect traffic. Fencing is already being placed on a nearby patch of grass, where all the materials for the project will be stored. And mobile units have been placed right next to the intersection, where the workers can take their breaks.
Even though, as a local resident, I only start noticing something’s going on about two weeks in advance, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. It’s like a sprinter at a world championship: all you see is one lightning-fast race, but months (if not years) of preparation went into making that one moment possible. Or like that new phone that just hit the shelves, while the company behind it has spent a long time designing, redesigning, and eventually producing it.
Although it can be hard to accept that it takes time to truly master a skill, it’s the reality. Something to keep in mind the next time you angrily toss your guitar back in the corner when you can't manage to play a solo flawlessly on the first try.
Not that that ever happens to me, of course.