#75 – Did you forget it was a curve?

Does your mind always remember what your body already knows, that learning takes time? Mine doesn't.

The learning process, as you know, is shaped like an upward curve.

In the beginning your knowledge of what you want to learn is 0%. Over time, it grows until it can potentially become mastery – 100% knowledge.

Often, unfortunately, we forget it's a curve, more or less steep, that always grows from 0.

How many things have you abandoned because you didn't reach mastery on day two?

"Plenty," is my response.

Take yoga, for example. I'd been attracted to it for a long time, but I could never make it a practice.

Because my Ghost of Time Indifference made me forget that my competence today doesn't determine my competence in the future.

Because my Ghost of Need to Prove prevented me from having the presence of mind to do something poorly.

Because my Ghost of Idea Deflection convinced me that "not knowing" meant I wouldn't benefit from the practice. Either my downward-dog was impeccable, or I'd rather quit.

But a few weeks ago, I was lucky to hear (and I mean, "hear") the exclamation, "It's a curve!" in Barbara Stanny's Sacred Success. She was recounting how some of the women she'd interviewed had learned about the financial markets: gradually, over time, and with patience and determination.

"It's a curve! It's a curve!" I repeated in my head as I walked to my weekend coffee machines demo job.

The next Monday I tried Yoga With Adrienne for the nth time.

As I noticed my heels couldn't reach the mat in my downward-dog attempt, I kept repeating, "it's a curve, it's a curve."

Today has been my 9th day. It doesn't seem much, but now I know I'll keep going.

Because remembering that learning is a curve allows me to relax into my incompetence.

What would be possible if you relaxed into not knowing?

Love,

Carolina