Reposted as not as unconsciously competent as I thought. One Page Wonder 157 (157 Times) According to the research undertaken by Matthew Syed in his fantastic book Bounce (How Champions are made) he claims that for anyone to be a champion at something they need to complete the 10,000 hour rule. That is, they must do purposeful practice of their chosen skill for 10,00 hours. Purposeful practice is where one is continually challenging themselves to improve. We may drive a car for 10,000 hours however most of that is unconsciously done, so improvement is minimal. I certainly havent improved, according to my wife. With all of that in mind I was reflecting on how one feels when doing something for the first time. Generally it is with caution and uncertainty and quite often the end result is not great. Now we can do one of two things here, believe that it is too hard or you are inadequate and give in, and the other is continue to persevere and steadily improve. Some people give up really quickly, or even worse dont even try, thereby having no chance of growing their skill set. A theory developed by Gordon Training International best describes how we learn and grow with its Four Stages of Competence rule. Initially we do things with unconscious incompetence where we do not understand or know how to do something because it is new to us. After a few times we may move to conscious incompetence where we actually have realized that we dont know to do something. At this stage by making mistakes we are getting better because we learn that way. Next we move to conscious competence where we now know how to do something, however to do requires concentration and effort and needs to broken down into steps. Finally we get to unconscious competence where the required skill becomes second nature and we can complete the task without thinking and we can teach it to others accurately and easily. Think about your life and the many things that you may do well, and remember the first time you did something and notice how the steps above form part of your journey. We are all really good at certain things that others are not, and we feel good that we can demonstrate these with ease. Think back in time when you ventured into one of your skills for the first time. It is doubtful that we could see that far ahead into the future, to the time now where we are great at completing that task, so much so that you dont even think about it, you simply do it. No matter what we do well we had to start somewhere to get where we are today. Always strive to learn and do more because if you keep discovering, there will always be more first times, that serve you well, given time and patience. When I wrote my first OPW in July 2011, I thought I did a pretty good job for a novice. In reflection it was fairly ordinary, however in essence I had to start somewhere. At that time it was the best that I could do with the resources I had at the time. Number 2 may have been a slight improvement however along the way I know I have grown as a writer, both in concept and creativity of ideas and so the story goes, and grows. Now it is simply a weekly ritual where I sit down with an idea of a title and go for it, frantically hitting the key board until my story evolves. Though I have now posted 157 OPWs, my typing skills havent improved as I still only use one finger. I know that I have improved and I am sure that those that started at number 1 have noticed that as well. If, according to Matthew Syed ,I can be called a champion once I get to 10,000 hours then once I have written the next 9,843 OPWs I will be 247 years old and it will be the year2203. Somehow, I doubt I will still have the energy by then, however you never know. Have a great week Rodney Tattam 24th August 2014
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 02:57:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015