Dangerous Curves Ahead

Sometimes, learning a new skill feels like losing your breaks on the downhill side of a mountain switchback. You innocently start a new project, and before you can even get your balance, you’re skidding out of control, trying not to slide sideways off the sheer face of failure. Or, you’ve been overly cautious, and your progress has ground to a halt. The pressure to perform competently is especially high when the new skill you’re trying to acquire is work-related. Hobbies we can do for fun and learn at our own pace. When we’re learning something for work, the pressure is high to get it right the first time, or at least make it look like that’s what happened.

Humans start learning the moment we’re born. From our first breath, our brains are taking on information and working to gain control of our bodies. Every new achievement is a source of pleasure: a first smile, a first word, a first step. These milestones delight everyone who sees them, and somehow, we all can appreciate the freshness of the world when we look at it through the eyes of a child. But perhaps foreshadowing our future critical selves, even as children, we give these newfound skills almost no thought or rightful appreciation. We simply move on to the next set—learning to jump, read, ride a bike—impatient for more progress, more autonomy.

That cycle of skill acquisition is perpetual. Our quest for knowledge and skill development doesn’t end when we become adults. It doesn’t end when we finish school or settle into a job. It only really ends when we die. That’s why people who stop caring about learning and self-development always seem so dead inside.

Despite being a core human experience, navigating life’s learning curves is not for the faint of heart. Almost nothing plummets faster than your self-confidence when you leave the perceived safety of your comfort zone. Feeling like a fool in front of a class of fellow students or an office full of co-workers might make you wish you were dead, but at least you know you’re alive. Plus, the reassuring thing about skill acquisition is that the more you practice a task or skill, the better you become at it, and initial progress comes quickly because you’re starting from zero.

Several factors contribute to rapid improvement when first learning a new skill. First, most people start by learning the basics. These foundational skills are easily acquired, and they quickly establish a base level of ability that boosts confidence to keep learning. Second, people are usually enthusiastic about starting a new project—at least if it is voluntary. Enthusiasm can often carry you forward through the headwinds of fear and self-doubt. Third, it is much harder to fear failure when we don’t know how to gauge success. Essentially, you need to reach a certain base level of competence before you can begin to feel inadequate.

Unfortunately, as we go forward, our progress slows. Intermediate skills take longer to learn, our enthusiasm wanes, and fear and frustration can start to build. As we gain more knowledge of the skills we’re trying to build, we begin to see the vast distinction between competency and mastery. We also seem to gain contempt for our early progress, as if our early gains and achievements lose value as our fear of failure and/or lingering mediocrity grow.

I don’t have a magic trick or a secret hack to straighten out the learning curve. No one yet has been able to guarantee systematic improvement that continues at a steady rate. I often feel the uncomfortable itch of impatience whenever the little voice in my head shouts for progress. It’s favorite refrain is, “Faster, faster! I want it RIGHT NOW!” But even in my frustration, I am occasionally reminded that life is more about the journey than the final destination, and my inner child can still enjoy the pull of centripetal force as we swing through the curves at top speed. She doesn’t worry as much as I do about the dangerous curves ahead or flying off the edge into the abyss. She’s smart enough to just enjoy the ride.

- A

Dangerous Curves Ahead But What An Exciting Ride