Who Are You?
Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels
If you’ve ever committed to learning a song on a musical instrument, you’ll know that there’s a certain amount of struggle that’s involved in the process.
Part of this struggle is knowing the technical details - where do I put my fingers, what chords do I play, what are the timings and how should I think about the phrasings here or there.
Another part of this struggle is the actual graft that’s required - devoting the time needed to practice, being consistent in terms of practicing the technical details over and over again and in the process working through any physical discomfort and pain in the process.
Both of these aspects are important but they’re executional in nature. They are not foundational.
The foundational aspect is, no surprise, mental: wanting to and believing you are able to play it. If you don’t believe you can play the song - that you can understand and memorize the chord progressions and notes and then gain the manual dexterity to play it - then there’s no point getting started. You won’t get there.
But if you believe you can get there, then you will get started and you will get there. This is true regardless of whether you’ve set your sights on becoming a professional or you’re simply content to be an amateur.
And it’s true whether it’s about learning an instrument or what you do for a living.
The point is, how we approach the work we do is the most critical determinant of success.
Do we approach what we do with a static or fixed mindset? This is what I do and I’m pretty fixed in terms of my skills. I’ve maxed out on my ability to learn new arenas or aspects or tools about what I deliver and how I do it.
Or do we approach it with a growth mindset? I don’t know this but I’m willing to try. I’m looking to stretch and take on something I don’t know well. I’m willing to push my boundaries as much as possible.
Passion and interest, of course, influence this but they’re not predominant. Part of it is the choice we make, consciously or subconsciously. How will we orient our thinking? What’s our view of trying and failing? How ready are we to be uncomfortable and deal with ambiguity for a period of time?
Of course, these aren’t absolutes. Almost no one sits on one end of the spectrum or the other. We’re usually somewhere along the continuum, leaning more to one end or the other, and perhaps even at different points depending on what the subject in question is.
But somewhere there, is the clue to how we think and, as writers such as Donald Miller have talked about, the type of people we should want to work with in our organizations.
Who are you along this spectrum?
