One thing I have come to learn over the past few years is that most things are often easier and less complicated than they appear at first glance. Steve Jobs once said:
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you.
Many times we have this bunch of ideas in our head that tell us that we are not smart enough, not capable enough, not fit enough to do this or that or to just manage to do what others do. We believe that there are things that we simply do not know how to do and that we are not capable of learning, and that there are certain people who are capable enough, fit enough, to do these things. There are certain subjects, such as mathematics, physics, etc., that we simply believe are made for “highly intelligent” people. And it doesn't even have to be stereotypically difficult topics, it can be easy topics that we just don't think are for us. In my case, it has been with subjects such as electronics, some aspects of language learning, and even something as simple as riding a bike, which I didn't learn as a child.
And I think the reason why we think that these things are complicated is simply that maybe we were exposed to them as children and they tried to teach us in a way that for us was just boring, and from a young age we started to classify certain things as difficult, not because they were really difficult, but because for us as children, it was just complicated to learn. Then we grew up, and even though these tasks are relatively a little easier for an adult, we still thought they were just as difficult as when we were kids.
Easier than we think.
The first time I got a hint of this was when I had to work for a few days as an electrician's assistant. I didn't know anything about it, I barely knew how to put in a light bulb. Then he asked me if I knew, I told him no, and he then helped me a little, explained it to me, and by working I also realized that what seemed like magic before, was simple science. It's really not very complex. Then I realized that, even though at first it was something I didn't understand and it seemed difficult, it's actually very easy. It's like that saying, it's not rocket science.
And although I used to be afraid of messing with wires and electronics, now it's different and even though I'm far from being an expert, I know enough for my own use. That experience helped me realize that things are not as difficult as they seem. Again, most of the time it's not a matter of others being smarter than you, but that we haven't tried to learn to do what they do.
I have also had other similar experiences. For example, I have “fixed” computers several times and I know practically nothing about it. I remember once when I turned on the computer I got a black screen with a message about a hard drive error, so what I did was to open the CPU, clean it up a bit, tighten the cables, and screw some screws around the hard drive, then close everything and turn it back on. Magically the computer ran fine and gave me no more problems for quite some time. This saves me from having to take it to the technician to be told I need to replace various parts, take some time to repair it, and in the end, receive a downgraded version of my computer as usually happens.
And it is amazing how many times I have managed to get a computer to run by doing practically nothing with no expertise in the subject. I have also repaired other devices without doing much and what I have learned is that just the act of trying is often enough to repair the object. Sometimes you just have to clean it up a bit or show some love to the device and then it works. It's not rocket science.
And of course, it has also happened to me learning English. Language learning has been something I've been focusing more on these last few years, and when they started teaching me all those grammatical rules I was a little bit unsure of what to do. At first, I thought it was going to be difficult trying to memorize all that stuff. Luckily for me, I didn't have to, because the more you soak in the language, the easier it becomes for you to discern what sounds right and what sounds wrong. (You can see it's not working for me, maybe I should just try harder!)
I have thought about studying more languages but I haven't decided yet.
So, I think a lot of times our mind over-complicates a lot and makes us believe that things are more difficult than they really are. I think this is one of the main obstacles to learning something new. The most difficult step is to start. After that, the task becomes easier and easier, even if you are dealing with more complex topics. Of course, you can't expect to start out as an expert, but things are often easier than they look. You should not believe that the subject is simply for people smarter than you. It's not. It's not rocket science, and even if you're actually learning rocket science, I'm telling you, even that, it's not rocket science.
It's like that phrase I heard: if it can't be done by me (or you!), my friend, then it can't be done.