Pushing Through the Learning Curve

Many of us have a deep desire to accomplish some specific task in life–being a writer, be an entrepreneur, create amazing art, build our own home, whatever–but become discouraged too early and easily because we make a fundamental mistake. We confuse a lack of skills and knowledge with a lack of ability.

What are you an expert at now? Now, think about when you first started that activity, sport, instrument, whatever. Were you any good? No.

Strangely, however, when it comes to life dreams, people lose site of the fact that we are all beginners at something when we first start.

I believe there are two main reasons why people give up on these dreams.

• First, the closer something is to our heart and greatest dreams, the more attached we often become to that goal. Once extreme attachment creeps into a situation, things often get complicated and dysfunctional. The entire religious philosophy of Buddhism tries to address the challenges of attachment.

• Second, major life goals take more than a few weeks effort to achieve. People give it a go, run into The Dip, and (especially if it is very important to them) give up in disgust and disappointment.

You aren’t going to do this anymore. There is a learning curve to every activity. You are going to keep this in mind, and you are going to muscle through the curve. You are going to build the skills and become a master. On the other side is the life of your dreams. I’m not joking.