I watched a Q&A video recently featuring Adam Savage, a special effects expert best known for being on MythBusters, a show where, according to Wikipedia, they used elements of the scientific method to test the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos, and news stories. It was precisely the focus on the scientific method that made it one of my favorite shows, combined also with how playfully the two hosts interacted. In this particular video, Adam responds to the following viewer question:
As a mentor/teacher, how do you get people to believe in themselves and to encourage them to take those first steps into a new process and skill set?
You can watch his response below – it starts at 2:50:
In case you cant watch a video right now, and also for the sake of commentary, Ill include specific quotes here – but the video is a far richer experience if you have the time. I also added bold styling below to emphasize a certain part.
You know, I once wanted to learn a new skill, and I had a friend who was a master practitioner of this skill […] and I found a version of this thing that I wanted to try out, and I told them, I texted them and was like, I’m gonna learn this skill, I’m trying to learn this skill and I’m trying to learn it under this framework. And they were like “That’s not the framework – that’s the wrong framework you’re using” – that’s not the right way to encourage somebody. That is the wrong way… because I immediately felt shame, I’m talking to a master of this craft and they’re like, WRONG. Thats bullshit. I dont have time for that.””
Boy, does Adam ever see things exactly the same way I do, in this case. Theres enough negativity in the world as is, the last thing you need when putting effort towards trying something new is even more negativity. Even if I don’t understand why someone is passionate about something, I know how incredibly powerful that kind of enthusiasm is when it comes to productivity, and deeper than that, how it might play a role in discovering what a person really wants to do in life.
I remember back when I lived with my parents, I was becoming really fascinated with the one computer my father had, and I would try to learn about it whenever I could. However, he did quite a bit to prevent me from pursuing this interest. The classic quote I will always remember is a computer is for work, not for play – what he failed to understand, of course, is that it was by playing around on the computer that I would become more familiar with it. He also failed to consider that perhaps my unrelenting interest was a sign of something deeper within me, a natural compatibility with the field. I also think part of his opposition had to do with him not understanding or anticipating the prominent role that computer science would play in the future – to him, it was a waste of time.
My father delayed my growth, theres no doubt about it, but eventually, I learned to code on my scientific calculator in high school, thanks to a supportive friend of mine, Dan, who had already ventured into that territory. (The moment I learned how to write something as simple as an if statement on my calculator blew my mind, and I will never forget where I was and what it felt like.) Eventually, I also managed to buy my own computer, largely eliminating the barriers I had at home, thereby accelerating my learning to the point where I was far ahead of my class by the time I was in college – I was coding in languages that werent even covered by the curriculum.
I still wonder from time to time how much faster I could have taken up the craft, and how much more advanced I would have been, if not for my fathers opposition. Needless to say, should I procreate, I will be especially attentive to these tells – where interest, enthusiasm and passion reveal something deeper. It wouldnt be about me, at all, but instead, a moment where I can support another human in the exploration of their interests, and getting that much closer to understanding what they like and dont like, and what they may want to do for a living. (To be fair, I should say that when I was in my late twenties, my father realized the error of his ways and apologized for not understanding what I saw in computers early on.)
Though not exactly the same, you can surely see how this relates to Adams anecdote. Im like Adam – I think those negative responses are awful, and I fully agree with what he suggests instead – which starts at 5:11:
And again here’s the transcript if you need it:
“Thats like you could do it that way, but youre WRONG, as opposed to, I love your enthusiasm, that trick, that thing that you want to do, that technique you want to learn, its a little beyond you, you dont see that yet, let me shepherd you through the early stages so that you can understand this technique. Or, yes, go try it! Come back to me after a while, when youve learned exactly why this isnt the right thing for you to start with.
And theres so many frames, but in improv, in comedy improv, the central ethos of comedy improv, […] is yes, and. And thats the opposite of no, but – yes, and it takes everything in, and it adds to it. Thats how potentially you can start to help people believe in themselves.”
And that’s exactly it – rather than strip the person of their enthusiasm, one of the most potent propellants, why not add to it? And that, my friends, is one of the key principles I stand for in life – I will always support passion and enthusiasm.