Hugs
Everyone has gifts in the form of talents. Unlocking these talents is what gives them expression. To do this you need theory and rules which you then apply unconsciously.
An example. Mix red and yellow and you get orange. This is a rule when done and a theory when planned. Once known you no longer need the instruction "mix red and yellow". It allows you to change the degree of orange by changing the amount of either colour. This now becomes expression and belongs to you. Rather than following a set of instructions that only apply to one situation.
Another example: A bolt has to have one and a half times its diameter in thread to have it's equal strength. Theory says two things here. A single nut can never equal the holding power of either the bolt or a hole threaded to the right or longer length. This is a rule. To use this theory when putting something together you now know you have the right bolt for the right application if it fits this rule. No need for instructions. The reason there is thread left over after a nut is put on is to support the last thread used. Another rule.
To open your talents you don't need instruction so much as theory and rules unless the instruction can be turned into these two so that it can be reused. Otherwise it applies to only one situation and allows no room for expression. Sometimes new discoveries are made by breaking rules intentionally and making a new theory.
Theory and rules being controlling things are stored in subconscious memory and therefore happen without conscious thought allowing a person to express themselves without actually having to think about it with all the frustration that comes with that.
Your Dad probably made things look easy by using these talents. If he was really good he probably kept the plans in his head and just did it. Imagination is playing one theory and it's rules against another to see what the result will be and ultimately becomes expression. I like to let the wood tell me what it wants to be and what it can be if I follow a few simple rules it will turn out. This includes planned disasters for the effect.
So what has any of this to do with a panic site? Simply that if you follow the instructions it will work but if you want it to work consistently you have to apply the theory and follow it's rules. No short cuts and no doing what doesn't work unless it is to prove a theory. This I think is where people go wrong. They want to skip parts of the equation and still get the same result. Like leaving the yeast out of bread. A road to disaster. I found this with most books on panic attacks. They only deal with instructions for one situation which will work if you only have that one situation.
I have a talent that also acts as a curse. I see three dimensionally. I can imagine quite accurately what the blind side of something will look like by going through all the possibilities. This is a hold over skill from a time when it was needed as a survival skill and we all know survival skills can lead to Fight or Flight which can lead to Panic attacks. Fortunately I can break the cycle before it becomes this. At one time I couldn't and suffered greatly for a good many years.
Davit.