#132 Unlimited Learning

ByLukas
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Learning often implies discovering what you can’t do.

I can’t write and convey what I want to say. I can’t speak Spanish fluently. I can’t do this yoga pose.

For many people that’s also the final destination, when in fact, it’s only the start.

We’re missing a word: Learning is discovering what you can’t do yet.

Or, even better:

Learning is discovering what, through diligent practice, you’ll soon be able to do.

After all, actions overrule thoughts.

I can’t write and find the right words… yet. But with diligent practice, soon, I’ll be able to convey what I want to say.

I’m not able to do this yoga pose… yet. But with diligent practice, soon I will.

I can’t speak Spanish fluently… yet. But with diligent practice, soon I will.

That’s all there is to it.

Discover your current limit. Realize that through diligent practice, you’ll overcome it.

Then you’ll find a new limit. And through diligent practice, you’ll overcome it.

Until you find a new limit, which you’ll overcome… through diligent practice.

Where do you let the discovery of your current limit be your end station?

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    Which means the habit needs to be transparent.

    Did you write one sentence today?

    Did you learn one word in your target language today?

    Did you run one mile today?

    Some find transparency empowering.

    Some think it’s scary.

    But everyone who has built a habit knows this is the way.

  • #383 A counterintuitive approach to skill building

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    With how (online) education and teaching are done nowadays, most people give up long before they get real results. Let’s fix that with this counterintuitive 3-step approach to skill-building: 👇

    1️⃣ Step 1: Intent Builder.

    Before you start, you must light a fire under yourself.

    Why is this important to you?

    What do you stand to gain?

    Also (especially), what do you stand to lose?

    (❗️I guarantee that at some point, you’ll forget what you’re doing it all for. So make your Intent strong and remind yourself every day; otherwise, you’ll always let life get in the way.)

    2️⃣ Step 2: Trust Builder.

    In the first 14-21 days, there’s only one thing that matters:

    Can you prove to yourself that your Intent is strong enough to show up and take action daily?

    Or are you derailed by the slightest setback or the lack of quick results?

    Most people don’t have that trust in themselves yet. So you must build it up by taking small, daily actions completely decoupled from “quick wins” (I call them Tiny Trust Builders).

    This is counterintuitive because people crave instant results, which means most course creators try to build them in their programs.

    But the harsh truth is, only when you can show up without getting instant results are you ready to get real results.

    3️⃣ Step 3: Skill Builder.

    Once you’ve built the trust that you’ll show up, you can focus on skills, progress, and results. Here are two valuable mechanisms that take you from Trust-Building to Skill-Building:

    👉 Make things a little harder every day or week
    👉 Implement feedback loops: ask for coach feedback, talk about what you’re doing, show your work,…

    Bottom line:

    Learning something new is easier if you’re already in the habit of showing up every day.

    It’s also easier to get through a bad day if you’re already in the habit of showing up every day – after all, you know that tomorrow, you’ll be there to take action again.

  • |

    #24 Put your actions where your mouth is

    ByLukas

    Here’s a useful insight from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits:

    Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

    https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/june-4-2020

    Writing every day reaffirms my “I’m a writer” identity.

    Sitting on the couch every day reaffirms my “I’m a couch potato” identity.

    As a consequence: when you change your actions and your identity starts shifting to align with those actions.

    And that’s how we get out of a rut.

    (The opposite isn’t always true: changing your thoughts without changing your actions will rarely shift your identity. I can think of being a writer as much as I want, if I never put any words on paper, I’m not a writer. That’s one of the principle of cognitive dissonance: Actions overrule Thoughts.)

    Here’s how to change your actions and your identity:

    1. First, you decide who you want to be (and what your new identity looks like).
      “I want to be a yogi: someone who regularly practices yoga and takes care of his mind and body.”
    2. Second you get clear on what that would look like in your daily life: which actions you’ll take that are different from the ones you’re taking right now.
      “Instead of watching TV before, my “yogi identity” would do a daily yoga session.
    3. Third, you gain enough leverage over yourself to go against your current habits, and take those different action for a prolonged period of time.
      This is where most resistance comes up, because my old “couch potato identity” is fighting my “yogi” identity — and through my past actions, the couch potato has received WAY more votes than the yogi.
      So you need perseverance at this stage. Remember, every time you take those new actions, you’re voting for your new identity and new habits are taking roots.
    4. At some point, you reach a tipping point productivity experts call “habit escape velocity“: you now have so much momentum that you’re out of the sphere of influence of your old habits, and your new habits (and new identity) can take root.

    Which begs the question…

    Where are you saying you want to be a certain way, but you’re voting for something else through your daily actions?

    Lukas Van Vyve

    Put your money (or your actions) where your mouth is.

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    #241 Is this truly a catastrophe?

    ByLukas

    What am I scared of right now?

    What are the chances that that scenario will come true?

    What would happen if that scenario came true?

    And what would happen then?

    And then?

    And then?

    Is it really that bad?

    Do I have the resources to deal with it?

    Is this truly a catastrophe, or will I be fine either way?

    Keep asking*, “What would happen then?”.* Look past the initial fears and challenges. And more often than not, you’ll realize that this too shall pass.

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