https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-new-years-resolutions-never-think-youre-too-old-to-become-a-beginner-11609426707 Skip to Main ContentSkip to Search Dow Jones, a News Corp companyAbout WSJ * News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services * Dow Jones + Barron's + BigCharts + Dow Jones Businesses + Dow Jones Newswires + Factiva + Financial News + Mansion Global + MarketWatch + Newsmart + NewsPlus + Risk & Compliance + WSJ Live + WSJ Pro + WSJ Video + WSJ.com * News Corp + Big Decisions + Business Spectator + Checkout51 + Harper Collins + Housing + Knewz.com + Makaan + New York Post + News America Marketing + PropTiger + REA + realtor.com + Storyful + The Australian + The Sun + The Times * The Wall Street Journal SubscribeSign In English Edition * English * Zhong Wen (Chinese) * Ri Ben Yu (Japanese) Print Edition Video Podcasts Latest Headlines * Home * World + Regions + Africa + Asia + Canada + China + Europe + Latin America + Middle East + Sections + Economy + More + World Video * U.S. + Sections + Economy + Law + New York + Politics + Columns & Blogs + Real Time Economics + Washington Wire + More + WSJ Noted. + Journal Report + U.S. Video + What's News Podcast * Politics + Sections + Election 2020 + Campaign Wire + More + WSJ/NBC News Poll + Politics Video * Economy + Blogs + Real Time Economics + WSJ Pro + Bankruptcy + Central Banking + Private Equity + Strategic Intelligence + Venture Capital + More + Economic Forecasting Survey + Economy Video * Business + Sections + Management + Tech/WSJ.D + The Future of Everything + Industries + Aerospace & Defense + Autos & Transportation + Commercial Real Estate + Consumer Products + Energy + Entrepreneurship + Financial Services + Food & Services + Health Care + + Hospitality + Law + Manufacturing + Media & Marketing + Natural Resources + Retail + C-Suite + CFO Journal + CIO Journal + CMO Today + Logistics Report + Risk & Compliance + The Experience Report + Columns + Heard on the Street + WSJ Pro + Artificial Intelligence + Bankruptcy + Central Banking + Cybersecurity + Private Equity + Strategic Intelligence + Venture Capital + More + Business Video + Journal Report + Business Podcast * Tech + Sections + CIO Journal + The Future of Everything + Columns + Christopher Mims + Joanna Stern + Julie Jargon + Nicole Nguyen + More + Tech Video + Tech Podcast + Startup Stock Tracker * Markets + Sections + Bonds + Commercial Real Estate + Commodities & Futures + Stocks + Personal Finance + WSJ Money + Columns & Blogs + Heard on the Street + MoneyBeat + Wealth Adviser + Market Data + Market Data Home + U.S. Stocks + Currencies + Companies + Commodities + Bonds & Rates + Mutual Funds & ETFs + More + CFO Journal + Journal Report + Markets Video + Your Money Briefing Podcast + Secrets of Wealthy Women Podcast + Search Quotes and Companies * Opinion + Columnists + Gerard Baker + Sadanand Dhume + James Freeman + William A. 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Magazine + Sections + Fashion + Art & Design + Travel + Food + Culture Search [ ][Search] Share * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Permalink * Life & Arts * Ideas * The Saturday Essay For New Year's Resolutions, Never Think You're Too Old to Become a Beginner In 2021, take on the challenge of learning a new skill or hobby as an adult. It can bring big cognitive and emotional benefits. [im-278571] Baking is one of the skills many Americans decided to learn during the pandemic. Photo: Getty Images By Tom Vanderbilt Dec. 31, 2020 9:58 am ET Have we ever needed a fresher start than the one promised by 2021? As we head into a new year with all its hopes--new year, new you, newly recovered world--there is one thing from the outgoing annus horribilis we should carry forward and even deepen: the spirit of the novice. The pandemic turned us all into beginners. Suddenly, the usual ways of doing things were no longer an option. Governments and businesses scrambled to develop new protocols, and we all struggled to reinvent the activities of everyday life. From queuing to Zoom to mask etiquette, we were faced with an unsettling societal learning curve. Just as noteworthy is how many people, in the face of such disruption, decided that they wanted to learn new things. Online learning sites like Skillshare, Duolingo and Coursera saw extraordinary growth. Enrollments in online art and music classes spiked, while novice bakers flooded the help lines of the Vermont-based flour company King Arthur Baking. Even before "The Queen's Gambit," online chess lessons were flourishing. From gardening to camping to bicycling to sewing, people have been taking up new pursuits with abandon. But cultivating new skills and habits is a challenge. Even as we commit to new activities, we struggle to shake off the stasis of familiar routines, especially if we are older. I had this feeling a few years ago when I suddenly realized, shepherding my young daughter to any number of classes and lessons, from swimming to piano, that I couldn't remember the last new skill I had learned. I had gently ossified into a finished being, coasting along on midcareer competence. 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