In the film Jiro dreams of sushi, you get to take a look into the life of a sushi master. It's fascinating to see all the many aspects of this skill of making sushi and putting together what must be an amazing meal. Beyond that, you get to see several of his apprentices and what they experience from day to day. One character spends what looks like several months learning how to make a Japanese form of an omelet that's used in sushi. He attempts a particular part of the process where you have to flip the omelette. Again and again, he makes a mistake and the omelet is ruined. Then finally there is a moment when he gets it and you can see tears of relief in his eyes.
Learning a skill can be very challenging and especially so if you have no idea how you're doing or if you're making progress. It can often seem overwhelming to practice all of the various elements of an ability. In this situation, it can be really helpful to focus on a small aspect of the skill and focus much of your effort on that small realm. In this way, you can begin to develop some sense of competence at least in that area. In other words, you get to feel some sense of accomplishment or skill throughout the process of learning. Once you begin to master that piece, you can expand the range of your efforts and pick your next area of focus.
