Milos Moda

Tag: Skills

  • Find What Works, Then Double Down on It

    From an early age, I was always trying to figure out where I truly belonged in the world. I often wondered what my life would look like when I got older. But the truth is, I never had a clear vision of being in a specific place or following a particular path. I just had a general idea of what I liked and went with the flow.

    Looking back, I’ve always found success when I doubled down on the things that came naturally to me. On the other hand, I almost always failed when I tried to force myself into something I wanted to do—things that sounded great in theory but didn’t really click with who I was. Sometimes I wondered if that was a lack of talent or just poor judgment. But over time, I realized it wasn’t really about either. I was only good at the things I could truly obsess over—things I couldn’t stop thinking about. Everything else was just a passing phase or a short-lived interest.

    It took me a while to accept that. For a long time, I felt like I wasn’t trying hard enough. That maybe my effort was being wasted. But one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this: you can’t force your way into something. You have to let things unfold, find your rhythm, and recognize what sticks. That’s where real success begins.

    For me, that usually means being immersed in something for a long time—thinking about it constantly, revisiting it regularly, and refining it with meaningful iteration. Take this blog, for example. I never force myself to write. But every now and then, when I have time and feel inspired, I sit down to write for my future self—and for you, my visiting friend—with sincerity and good intentions.

    There’s a saying that goes, “Fishermen mend their nets when there’s no work for them.” I think that’s a beautiful metaphor for life. Investing in yourself and your skills is the best way to create your own luck. Because when opportunity shows up, you’ll be ready.

    And that’s the key: be prepared—and when the moment comes, go all in and make it count.

    Cheers!

  • Learning by Doing

    There’s a unique kind of joy I feel when I dive into a new topic. I love the spark of curiosity, the planning phase, the excitement of figuring out how to approach something I know little about. From that initial idea to the moment I start learning, it all feels purposeful and energizing.

    But that excitement often fades when the path forward isn’t so clear—especially when I fall into the trap of thinking I want to “learn how to do something” without really understanding what that means. Take learning to play guitar, for example. For years, I told myself I wanted to learn, but I had no clear idea of what that actually involved. I didn’t know where to start, what milestones to aim for, or how progress should even look. As a result, it was slow, frustrating, and not very rewarding.

    Learn how to learn

    The same thing happened when I first tried to learn how to code. I went from tutorial to tutorial, book to book—completing course after course—only to find myself right back at the beginning whenever I tried to start something from scratch. I knew about coding, but I didn’t know how to actually do it.

    In both cases, the core problem was the same: I had the process backward. I focused on absorbing information before setting a clear goal I could work toward. Without a specific, realistic outcome in mind, I had no way of identifying the knowledge gaps that were holding me back. I was learning in theory, not in practice.

    Of course, following a curriculum is helpful—but only if it’s tied to something you’re actively trying to build or do. We’re taught in school to follow structured lessons, progressing from topic to topic year after year. But in real life, there’s no natural rhythm or schedule pushing us to revisit what we’ve missed. And if we’re learning alone, it’s easy to get stuck without realizing what exactly we’re missing. Even worse, we end up with a shallow understanding that’s not enough to move forward, making the entire process feel heavier and more confusing.

    But there’s hope. The idea is simple: stick to the basics and don’t jump ahead until you really grasp what the subject is about—and more importantly, what it means to you. If you want to learn guitar, don’t obsess over theory or complicated solos right away. Start with the basics: learn your chords, master some simple progressions, practice rhythm, and get comfortable reading tabs. Once those are second nature, you’ll be playing songs in no time—and progressing to more complex techniques won’t feel so overwhelming.

    It’s the same with coding. Ask yourself: What do I want to build? Maybe it’s a simple app. Great—sketch it out, understand how it should function, and then find a course that teaches the basics you need. Learn about building blocks like variables, functions, and classes—and immediately apply them to your project. When you get stuck, you’ll clearly see what knowledge you’re missing, and you’ll know exactly what to search for.

    The worst thing you can do is hop from tutorial to tutorial hoping to feel more prepared. That’s not learning—it’s just procrastination in disguise.

    In the end, learning by doing means committing to action. Focus on the fundamentals. Document your gaps as they arise. Find the resources that help you fill them. Use tools like AI as your personal tutor—available anytime, ready to help you break through when you’re stuck.

    This approach won’t just help you learn—it will help you build. And that’s what really matters.