Table of Contents
Table of ContentsYou cannot spend your way out of a learning problem. 4 Self-Reflection exercises to help you get through the Messy Middle and Embrace Learning and Change:Beware of the Urge To Bypass Your Learning CurveDiscomfort in the Learning Curve Power Questions To Keep Moving Through The Learning CurveEmbrace The Learning Curve
You cannot spend your way out of a learning problem.
You have to learn your way out. To do that you have to go through the what I call the Messy Middle.
You will notice at the point that the two Axis converge (Learn/Change) is the word willingness. This is a key concept in learning, let me explain.
If you have a high willingness to learn but your willingness to change is low, you will remain stuck in the “Messy Middle”. If your willingness to change is high and your willingness to learn is low you will get stuck in the bottom of the trough of the “Messy Middle”
To navigate and build momentum to get through the “Messy Middle” you need to have equal parts of willingness to learn and willingness to change.
4 Self-Reflection exercises to help you get through the Messy Middle and Embrace Learning and Change:
- Confront reality: confront the way things are, see what is really going on, see the truth of your circumstances. Don’t sugar coat it, face it. Document it.
- Examine your attitudes and dogma: which are net negatives and net positives? (full program examine ones morals, ethics, values, principles)
- Release resistance: to what is, the way things are and attachment to being right, fear of failure, letting go drama, catastrophic-izing, reliving the pain and reject the identity (adversity, creative problem solver etc) you've formed that might seem positive but keeps you in a state of chaos or low level anxiety, yet always hyper vigilant and unconsciously setting an expectation of future chaos or troubles.
- Embrace Reinvention: what will it take to create forward movement: and acceptance that what was is over & willing to invest in making the movements to create tangible change which is forward movement. Take the steps, extract the lessons from my actions and make whatever changes are needed to live my dream.
Beware of the Urge To Bypass Your Learning Curve
The typical mistakes people make when learning are often related to the steepness of the learning curve. When attempting to learn a new skill or concept, it is easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated by the amount of information that needs to be processed.
Additionally, it is easy to become distracted and lose focus, leading to a longer learning process or difficulty retaining the information. Lastly, people may get stuck in a rut of repeating the same mistakes, leading to a lack of progress in the learning process.
There is no swipe file for your own learning curve. The things that inhibit our willingness to learn and change are:
- Habits: are routines that are most often unconscious automatic routines or activities with which we are very comfortable with.
- Attitudes: how you tend to characterize people, business and situations involves your mindset, outlook and feelings.
- Assumptions: conclusions you have made, consciously or unconsciously, color and filter what we think is possible or impossible.
- Beliefs: our beliefs and be inherited from others, education, institutions which we tend to defend. Sometimes they grow into “sacred cows” which we become so attached to they actually prevent us from observing anything different from our own cherished beliefs.
- Personal Morals and Ethics: are a set of rules made up of our intentions, ideals and principles which we believe, trust and do our best to live them.
Discomfort in the Learning Curve
It is normal to feel uncomfortable while you are going through a learning curve, that is a good sign. As long as you are willing to embracing your learning curve. What follows is a list of typical experiences that are often uncomfortable, for example:
- the amount of information that needs to be processed,
- the tendency to become distracted,
- the time it takes to wade through the messy middle, and
- the possibility of repeating the same mistakes.
Remember, the things that inhibit our willingness to learn and change are our habits, attitudes, assumptions, beliefs, as well as our personal morals and ethics.
Power Questions To Keep Moving Through The Learning Curve
- What am I assuming that has not been verified or proven?
- What don’t I know that I need to get to the bottom of? (Even though you think you might)
- Who has done something similar before and what can I learn from them?
- What is unknown, unexpected, unanswered or unanticipated and what can I do to deal with these uncertainties?
- What most concerns you about what you need to learn and why is it troubling you?
Embrace The Learning Curve
There is no quick fix to systemic issues, personal and professional bias. You must do the work to get the benefit. Here are a bunch of creative and learning resources specific to “learning”.
The Lighthouse Self Study Learning Library
Tips & Tricks for Building Resilient Businesses and Entrepreneurs
You will find 69+ pages of actionable business ideas and strategies that will help you figure out what to do, when. This is your invitation to embrace the process of rebuilding, reorganizing our restructuring your business in a way that is enjoyable, exciting and playful.
Stop, Look & Listen Links
Step 0: Self Reflection Questions
Below you will find a link to “Uncovering the Right Stuff Questionnaire” which is an excerpt from my 384 page Business Planning book (Amazon Kindle purchase link).
It’s 30 questions/answers that will help you get to know yourself and give you some hints of areas you can choose to work on as an entrepreneur. Click the link below to access it.
Step 1: Perspective
The answer to confusion and overwhelm is always to seek clarity. To get clarity you will need perspective.
How To Gain a Fresh PerspectiveStep 2: Your Learning Curve
You cannot spend your way way out of a learning problem, you have to learn your way out.
How To Learn Your Way Out Of Business ProblemsHow Rethink (Reflect & Ponder) Your Business (8 Resources)How To Reinvent Your Business (19 Resources)Building Resilience Links
Step 3
Feel free to browse the links below and jump ahead to the section where you feel drawn or need to do work.
About Business Coaching
Check out these links about business coaching:Rationale, Logic & Advantage of Having a Business Coach
Business Coaching Services
NOTE: at the bottom of some this page and a few others, you’ll find a “Ask Me Anything” form. It is an open invitation to reach out, ask a question and I’ll do my best to answer your query in a timely manner.