Why can’t I just do it right the first time?

It’s frustrating. You wish you could score the first time. The fact is, confidence comes with repetition. Let’s explore the Learning Zone.

You’re impatient with yourself.

This is probably your number one problem. You expect to be able to do things amazingly well that you haven’t spent much time actually doing. It’s part of the world you live in: you watch a movie or a television show, where people can fly and have amazing mental powers and super computers that find anything after a few clicks, displaying everything on a virtual screen.

But real life isn’t that way. It takes a lot of shots on goal to get proficient at getting through the defense, into position, and then delivering a shot that actually scores.

Confidence comes with repetition. You weren’t always able to walk, for example. You faltered the first few hundred times. But you’ve forgotten that, and have been watching too much T.V. Chances are, you’re not going to get it right the first time. So let’s get you repetitions in whatever it is you truly care about doing well.

Reps in what? 

The question then becomes: repetitions in what? You only have so much time in a day, and so many years in a lifetime. So if we are going to get you the repetitions you need to get proficient at something in particular, we are going to want to narrow the field of possibilities.

Time to choose.

Rather than floundering in a sea of frustration, take a minute to think about what you really want to be good at. Here’s a framework for thinking about how you go about getting reps in a structured, productive way.

Please listen to this short talk (about 12 minutes) by Eduardo Breciño, and then come right back for today’s takeaway.

The takeaway:

Separate the learning zone from the performance zone. Then choose what you’d like to improve, and go get your reps.

Read more.

I can help you get better at what you truly care about.