Phelps vs. Shark: 3 Things Sharks Can Teach Us About Lifelong Learning

Udacity
Udacity
Jul 23, 2017 · 4 min read

Developing a taste for success is a remarkable thing. The first time you achieve something special, something you really had to work for, that moment plants a seed in your brain that grows into desire. Desire to learn more, do more, achieve more. And so you strive, and your successes multiply. You become a committed lifelong learner, unwilling to rest on your laurels. You’re happiest when pursuing a new challenge. The moment you reach a goal, that familiar voice in your head begins to ask its question once again: what shall we try next?

When you’re Michael Phelps, “next” is apparently …. racing a shark.

Phelps vs. Shark

Honestly, what else could he do? When you’ve run out of neck real estate to throw medal ribbons around, you pretty much have to go outside your comfort zone when you want a personal refresh.

Thinking back on a recent post entitled Treat Yourself To New Skills, we might pause to ask, is Michael Phelps racing a shark an example of upskilling, or reskilling?

We’re going to go with upskilling. Because his previously existing skills—swimming faster than other people— are still relevant. He’s just adding “trying to swim faster than a shark” to his tool kit.

So as we were saying, when you’re a Michael Phelps-caliber lifelong learner, you’ve got to get creative when you upskill.

Shark Week on Discovery, Discovery Week at Udacity

We can conclude from the above that July 23rd, the kickoff of this year’s Shark Week — highlighted by Phelps vs. Shark — is at it’s core a celebration of lifelong learning and the pursuit of new skills and challenges.

Such a coincidence then, that July 23rd falls squarely in the middle of Udacity Discovery Week, another weeklong event that is also a celebration of lifelong learning and the pursuit of new skills and challenges!

So far in the post, we’ve given pretty short shrift to the sharks. Let’s think about them for a moment. Here are:

3 Things Sharks Can Teach Us About Lifelong Learning

1) Resilience. Sharks have about 50 teeth in the “front row,” but behind that, they’ve got reserve rows ready to take over if something happens to a front row tooth! Talk about adaptability in the face of unexpected change!

For more on resilience and career goals, please read: The Importance of Persistence and Curiosity in a Knowledge Economy. And to read a great story about adapting to unforeseen change, please read: From Music Store Manager to Front-End Developer.

2) Grit. While we’ve learned that the “swim or die” myth about sharks isn’t entirely true, most sharks do need to keep moving to get their oxygen. A sedentary, stagnant, and inactive life is simply not an option. They have to keep going, for the long haul. Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth, a highly visible advocate for grit, with a wildly successful Ted Talk on the subject, has stated that, “Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” For sharks, life is a marathon that begins at birth.

For more about grit and your career, please read: The Best Career Advice In The World: Be Gritty.

3) Flexibility. Modern shark skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone. This appears to have been an evolutionary development that has contributed significantly to the longevity of sharks — they’ve been around for over 400 million years! With these skeletons, they are lighter, they can swim faster, and they are more flexible. In short, abandoning rigidity in favor of flexibility is one of the key secrets to shark success!

As a side note, it is said that Michael Phelps’ flexibility — his double-jointed ankles and hyperextending knees and elbows — is a huge factor in his swimming success.

The Golden Rules

Swimming coach Bob Bowman, the man Michael Phelps credits with enabling him to achieve his success, published a book in 2016 entitled “The Golden Rules: 10 Steps to World-Class Excellence in Your Life and Work.” His 10 steps provide a pretty perfect roadmap for any committed lifelong learner:

1. A champion sets a “dream big” vision

2. Adopt an “all-in!” attitude, not a “get out!” one

3. Take risks — and then enjoy the rewards

4. Short-term goals lead to long-term success

5. Live the vision every day

6. A team approach can inspire individual success

7. Stay motivated over the long haul

8. Adversity will make you stronger

9. When the time comes, perform with confidence

10. Celebrate your achievement, then decide what’s next

Before you settle in tonight to enjoy Phelps vs. Shark on the Discovery Channel, why not enroll in a new Nanodegree program, and enjoy Discovery Week savings?

Nailed it!

Fast forward several months. You’re approaching the end of your Nanodegree program. You’re going to graduate very soon. The projects you’ve posted in your online portfolio have already gotten hiring partners interested in your talents. You’re all about the future. You have no active recollection of what prompted you to enroll with Udacity in the first place, but you know it was one of the best decisions of your life.

Fast forward a few more weeks. Your final project submission passed with flying colors. You did it. You’re going to graduate, and earn your Nanodegree credential! You hop online, grab an image of a Hammerhead Shark, and drop it into a Facebook post. You type:

Final Udacity project? Nailed it!

And then you remember.

Q: How did the hammerhead do on his test?

A: He nailed it.

Shark Week.

~

Ready to make like a Hammerhead Shark, and nail it in your life and career? July 20–27 is Discovery Week at Udacity. It’s your chance to learn new skills, advance your career, and save big while you do it!

~

This post was written by Christopher Watkins, Senior Writer and Chief Words Officer, Udacity

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