WHAT IS THE SECRET TO NEVER-ENDING IMPROVEMENT?
If you’ve ever decided to take on a new endeavor, like playing a new sport, trying to lose weight or learning to play an instrument, you know that progress, sadly, isn’t linear. When you start learning or doing something new, you see major results in little time. You’re growing and growing and then, suddenly – BAM – you plateau. What happened to your continuous improvement? You can’t get to the next step, let alone the next level. Many of us give up, but if you understand the training effect, you’ll know how to channel setbacks to push you farther.
Here we’ll cover what really happens when you face a setback and how you can keep going instead of giving up. Tony Robbins calls it The Training Effect.
PROGRESS AND THE NEWNESS EFFECT: HUGE GROWTH
When you start something new, it feels great. Sure, you’re making mistakes, but now you can hit the ball with your tennis racket or play a simple song on your new instrument. Everything you do feels like continual improvement. You’ve shot up in capacity and can’t wait to get better, right?
But then comes a plateau. Instead of rapid progress, it feels like you’ll never get better. You might even start getting worse. You dropped 15 pounds, but can’t get rid of the next 10. You’ve got a solid forehand on the tennis court, but you can never get your backhand to work quite right. Frustrating, right?
PLATEAUS AND SETBACKS, PAIN AND ANGST
At this point, some people might say it’s time to quit. Why should they keep going if they’ll never make any progress again? Maybe continuous improvement is a myth. This is because when we succeed, we often celebrate; however, when we fail, we start to question everything.
Instead of quitting, it’s important to remember that plateaus are always part of the training process. You think that professional athletes or musicians have never had this happen to them? Of course they have. But instead of being mad at themselves or giving up, they recognize this stage as just another stop along their upward trajectory and keep going.
STIMULUS AND RECOMMITMENT
Instead of giving up when things get hard, dig in instead. A setback can be the stimulus to re-energize your commitment to your ultimate goal. This is what continuous improvement is really about. Once you’ve come to understand that setbacks are just a natural part of the training process, you can channel the pain and frustration back into learning. It’ll make you work harder, and you’ll keep progressing.
Of course, getting back on track is tough. That’s why you need something or someone to break your pattern of pain and doubt. An event or quality Results Coach are great ways to remind you of your goals and get you back in the game.
RENEWED COMMITMENT, RENEWED RESULTS
Now, recommitted to your goal, you can once again become immersed and dedicated. You’ll experience renewed energy, partly because plateaus are a kind of resting point. Your new surge will once again make for huge growth — those pounds fall away, that backhand now surpasses your forehand shot, you’re playing your favorite song like a pro.
Then, of course, you’re going to hit another plateau. But you’re ready for it this time. You recognize it’s part of your continuous improvement plan. So when that little voice tells you it’s time to give up, you can reply that you’re already at a higher level than the last time. If you think of your progress as a graph, even though there are some valleys, the peaks continue to get higher and higher.
