The key to effortless execution

Eating rice with one’s hands is an intricate and skillful act.

A few years ago, I would have laughed this suggestion off. We Indians have grown up eating rice with our hands. I never considered this to be skillful – even toddlers can do it with little effort. Only when I moved to the Western world, I realized how eating with one’s own hands can be hard work. I once switched to my untrained left hand and experienced this myself. My clumsy fingers grasped around in vain to pick up the slippery, elusive grains.

Our habits and routines as Indians make eating with our hands effortless. In the same vein, people in South-East Asia can polish off a bowl of rice with chopsticks. Europeans make large pizzas disappear down their throats with a few flicks of their knifes and forks. All of that is hard work for people from outside those cultures.

The key to making any hard skill seem easy is to make it a part of one’s daily routine. Once we have established a habit, we have the luxury of taking our progress for granted.

Do something once in a while and it feels like a struggle. Do it everyday and it turns effortless without your realization.