No matter what you want to learn, jumpin' in there and getting your hands dirty is the only way to do it.

Yes, you’ll feel a little lost. You’ll feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. That it’s taking forever to learn this shit. And it’s ok to feel that way. Dig in and hang on.

Doing is a million times better than spending hours on researching the best course, the best book, and the best way to go about learning something. You’ll get so deep into research that you’ll end up with a case of analysis paralysis.

Should I start with this or that?

Do not go down that road. I’ve been there. Done that. And it’s cost me time & opportunities.

A little context to the story that follows…

I never thought I’d be able to write as well as I do. Heck, writing for a living hadn’t even crossed my mind then. That was all about to change in 2010-11.

After 3 years of working as a call centre rep, I realised that I didn’t like the monotony of the job, the night shift, the rigid work breaks. So I decided to do something about it.

I went back to university but continued working. I knew it would open doors and offer me a way out, which it did. Though, it took me a while to get there.

My first day as a copywriter…

It was September 2011. I had just landed a job as a rookie copywriter. It was at an ad agency that one of the founders ran out of their home. Small team, 3 founders, 2 designers, 2 client servicing and I, the copy guy.

So I turned up for my first day with a notebook, a pen, and a dream.

After a short introduction, I was handed a laptop and a brief. I had to write a headline for a leaflet. I was dumbfounded. “What the hell? No training,” I thought to myself.

You see, my time spent working in call centres got me accustomed to a month long training period where they trained you on your accent, soft skills and the business you’d be working for.

And I was expecting something similar.

I hadn’t written a real headline before. I didn’t know where to start. So I did the next best thing I could. I began writing. Filling line after line. Page after page.

Was it any good? I couldn’t tell. But I did what I could. I wrote.

After I had finished, or thought I had, my boss took a look at what I had written. While she went through my work, I told her I don't think there's anything good in there. She smiled, and told me to leave that up to her to decide.

A few minutes go by and then I hear her say, “This one. This one’s good. We could use this.”

Those words were a dopamine hit. It felt good. It meant, at least to me, that I had what it takes. I just had to hang in there, learn all I could, and keep pushing onward.

Things could have gone south. I could have not turned up the next day. But I had fire in my belly and I was willing to learn. Most times that’s all you need.

So…

Hadn’t I been pushed in that well when I barely knew how to write copy, my journey would have been a lot different.

That one little act taught me that I could get good at most things even if I hadn't done it ever before. And that it's never too late for anything.

What about you? Have you found your well, yet? If you have, what are you waiting for?

Jump in cuz that’s the only way you’ll learn.

This article is a tribute to those folks, who see something in others when few would.