This Simple Chart Will Change Your Life
At times, we are all inadequate.
I’ll be the first to admit it.
I know I fall short of my dreams, I do it all the time.
Hell, we all fall short of our goals and outcomes.
It’s a part of life.
We fall short on knowledge, but luckily, I discovered a graph by my mentor Jason Capital. The graph breakdowns the ‘emotional changes’ we go through when our minds attempt to learn something new.
The chart is called the “Emotional Model of Behavioral Change”
We are all humans, and for the most part, our reasoning and thought loops generally are the same (unless your neurons are wired backwards and your brain is f**ked for some reason).
*If that’s the case, then I can’t help ‘ya!
Here’s the chart:
That’s a weird-looking chart, but let me break it down for you.
When we start learning a talent, goal, skill, anything, we begin with what is called UNIFORMED OPTIMISM. It’s new to the brain and it sounds exciting to learn.
So, for the sake of argument, we’ll make the skill you and I want to learn be “Computer Coding” because it’s a skill that’s high in demand.
These are the average person’s thoughts and breakdowns of how goals will come and go just like a direct deposit paycheck on a Friday.
UNIFORMED OPTIMISM - is when you realize that holy crap I can make $150k coding on a computer? All I have to do is study this online course?
INFORMED PESSIMISM - is when the realization that this is hard starts to settle in…while the inner voice will begin all of its negativity…
“Holy shit! I have to do more than type letters into computers. This coding sh*t is hard!”
“But the TV made it look super simple……this is way harder than I thought it was.”
“I don’t know if I can do this…”
“F**K, I can’t do this.”
“Damn, I need a break.”
*CRACKS OPEN YOUTUBE*
"I’ll do it tomorrow.”
VALLEY of DESPAIR - is where you are moving, dredging along, not feeling like you’re making headway, but also YOU ARE NOT STOPPING.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m building, but I know that if I keep doing it….it might work…it probably won’t, though.”
I’ve spoken to Senior Developers, and this is the thought throughout the coding process. Self-doubt within creation never goes away.
I hate to break it to you.
It never leaves.
Then you reach…
INFORMED OPTIMISM - is when you begin to come out on the other side of the change. You have gained footing, and your habits have shifted, and your confidence has risen, even if just a tad.
You know more than you did when you began, and it doesn’t frighten you… as much.
Your thoughts at this stage sound a little like:
“This coding is really hard, but I’ve also put in a lot of time to become more than capable. I’ll take it one day at a time and push myself to be better and greater than I was yesterday.”
The final step is: SUCCESS & FULFILLMENT - this is where your habits are deeply ingrained and you’re doing it. You’ve finally attained the skill, now you are not a master by any stretch of the imagination, but you also haven’t mentally shriveled from the goal.
So, what can you do with all of this information and this chart?
For one, you now know the weaknesses of your mind and how you can push yourself beyond what you thought you could.
Use the stages and fill in the blanks as you apply them to yourself for something new or challenging you are working on.
Where is there a pain point in something you’d like to learn?
Go forth and conquer it, my friends!