When we are learning a new skill or technique, we are often dealing with learning new terms or new understanding of definitions of terms along with the actions required to implement them. This can cause confusion and frustration in the learning process. We can get overwhelmed and retreat back to what we know and give up on our change we wanted, or at least thought we wanted.
Last month on this blog I talked about how in any learning curve we go through four stages. Starting with Unconsciously Incompetent, where we don't know we don't know. Then to Consciously Incompetent, where we learn that we don't know. Then hopefully to Consciously Competent, where if we are focused on doing the new skill we can do it, and eventually to the Unconsciously Competent where we just do it without even thinking any longer. When was the last time you have experienced this? If you are taking the Momentum Complete Agent Development program, I am sure you can relate by now. It is a tried and true system, but one that is foreign to the experiences of most in our industry, thus why it is a complete game changer for those who fight through.
It was ironic that I wrote about this last month because I just have had a serious "Ah Ha" moment on it personally yesterday. I have learned through my surgery that words have different meanings from my experience previously and how the doctors used them for surgery recovery. When I hear "rehab" or "your body will tell you how much you can do," I understood them to mean what they did for rehabbing dozens of injuries over the years. Yet, there is obviously a huge difference, where I was always trained to push them to build strength, that didn't work well at all. I pushed too hard on the ninth day post surgery, not realizing it until later when my body slapped me down hard. I have never experienced that level of pain before. After that I was kind of like the cat that jumped on a hot stove, I was very reluctant to jump on a cold one for fear of getting burned again. So I was going along Unconsciously Incompetent, not knowing I didn't know the meaning of those words by my doctor, and was shaken awake to a very Conscious Incompetence. At this stage, I became overly cautious and retreated back to not wanting to feel the pain. How much is that like when we decide to try a new script or process we are learning and it blows up in our face because we didn't know it as well as we thought? That is the purpose of SPAR (Study, Practice, Action and Review) but in the middle of the pain of the moment that isn't the first thing we want to do.
On Tuesday I went to my one month post op appointment with my doctor and something he said took about 24 hours for me to hear. He off handed said when I grabbed my cane, "you should use that when you walk for long distances." It didn't register at the time, but did he mean not to use it otherwise? So I made the decision yesterday to try it, and it was awkward and felt scary just like any time you are working on those new skills and scripts. Then I learned something even more interesting, when I was consciously thinking about walking "normal" heel to toe without "protecting" the leg I have been protecting for the last six years and intensely protecting the last four weeks, it worked much better with much less discomfort. However, whenever I wasn't thinking about it and fell back into the habit of protecting it, it was more awkward and painful. So, I have advanced to Consciously Competent, now I am looking forward to that wonderful day when it becomes Unconsciously Competent and no longer have to focus or think about it at all.
Whatever it is you are working on learning you will go through these four stages, just do not get weary in well doing, keep pushing through it, keep SPARing and you will make whatever it is you want to learn a part of your every day life.
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