Sapient Nature

When you stop worrying about improvement, that little change in mindset can lead to greater enjoyment of the activity. If it's enjoyable, you end up doing it more often, and before you know it you end up being significantly better.

I think sometimes the problem is just the anxiety that arises when you're too focused on measuring improvement and fails to see any. That anxiety can stop you from practicing/enjoying what you're doing, when in fact, if you practice/enjoy it, you eventually notice these spurts of improvement, like little epiphanies.

You bring up a very good point, Alex. It's a point that can be applied to the context of happiness maximization as well--or, for that matter, to sleep. Constantly monitoring whether one is happy or falling asleep can be counter-productive to achieving these goals!

I often describe progress in therapy using a similar chart. I've never seen anyone improve in a smooth, straight, linear fashion.

That's interesting. I hadn't thought of progress in therapy sessions, but of course i can see how it can't be anyother way but this!

Thanks for sharing!

Any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you....Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question....Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.

- Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan

I don't have to say anything much more. What I say applies to the transactional world; what you say applies to the transformational world. If one has the wisdom to recognize that striving towards expertise doesn't matter, what you (or Carlos) says is more relevant...

thanks for sharing this--I wasn't aware of this quote.

What happens when you are not always able to practice your principle? I am sure a good percentage of people know what they "should" do but they end up doing what they "have to" do.. Is compromising so detrimental to your well being? Most of us choose careers and make life changing decisions when we are in our teens.. For eg.. What discipline to major in college.. And life takes off from there.. Sometimes compromises are the "only" way to lead life..

I am hoping that the knowledge that one is learning and growing despite apparent stagnation mitigates the tendency to give up too soon. That said, you are right--many (most?) of us choose careers that we shouldn't and for that, I would place a large amount of blame on the educational system. To me, the primary duty of any educational system (and, in fact, of any culture) should be to steer people towards having a meaningful and fulfilling life. Instead, what our educational systems and cultures do is to goad people to earning more money and becoming more famous--in short, our education and culture encourages egotistical pursuits rather than encouraging pursuit of intrinsically motivating activities.

Of course, to a large section of even those living in developed nations, it may be a practical necessity to compromise on what one wants to do in order to make ends meet. Those constrained by such an obligation should, if possible, recognize that it wasn't within their control to follow their passion, and with such recognition should come a sense of internal peace...at the end, we are all actors involved in the melodrama called life that is largely purpose-less (in my opinion), although it is meaningful, and the meaningfulness becomes apparent if one has the wisdom to retain one's peace of mind through life's tribulations.

I hope this makes sense.