This statement is something that has crossed my mind too many times to count. Anytime I am working to learn a new skill it can feel like I am simply just not capable of making in real progress in the given area. It can feel like you are just wasting time and need to move on to something different that you are good at. It is important to recognize that this is bullshit, it is another form of resistance that you need to just push through. Now are there times that you end up realizing that a certain pursuit is not for you? Of course and you should absolutely pivot if you realize that is the case but to get an actual understanding on if something is for you or not you need to get through the initial difficulty.
This initial difficulty can stick around for quite awhile. For me while training BJJ I was starting to feel a little discouraged about my progress after the first few months. Then something clicked after six months of training and I suddenly was able to get in a lot more offensive cycles which felt like real progress. Then another example is home improvement, after first moving into my home I was terrified that I would just make things worse attempting to fix things around the house. Over time as I have taken on more and more projects I have become very comfortable with many aspects of house work and feel like I actually do a pretty good job at this point.
So this all begs the question of “how do I get through the initial difficulty?” and the basic answer is you just keep going. This all has to stem from a faith in your own ability to undertake new things and learn new skills. An important note is that learning skills is a skill in of itself so be sure to be patient with yourself when starting down this self-improvement journey. Once you get a handle on the foundational skills of learning (This all can happen in tandem and you must remember that it is all a process that can be continually improved upon) then you can pursue your given pursuit until you reach that point of basic competency.
Breaking through the plateau that you have been trapped at is a pretty amazing feeling. You are suddenly able to do things that you were getting stuck on before and now can more accurately evaluate if the given pursuit is for you or not. Bear in mind that this all takes time and effort and even though the realization of a plateau breach may come over night the effort to get there likely will not. All of that being said it is important to recognize that any skill has many different plateau’s that will affect everyone differently and will continue to impact you as you grow in skill. Most skills are in essence infinitely improvable.
Now this brings us back to our initial statement, maybe I’m just not good enough. There is a truth to it that cannot be denied while getting started that you simply are not good enough to do what you want to do. But you can and will get better. You see the end goal of what you want to do and take some time to think through how you can get from where you are at now to where you want to be. Understanding that it is a journey in which every step forward should be celebrated and evaluated. Over this process you will likely learn some skills that you realize you don’t need immediately and that is okay. Learning how to learn and what to learn are all aspects that are part of the process.
So yes you may not be good enough with the important caveat that you simply are not good enough…. Yet.
Thanks for reading let me know in the comment section below what skills you are currently working to improve. Follow to get notifications on when new posts go live!