The Learning Arc
"Knowledge is fixed in time, knowing is continual…the additive process is merely a cultivation of memory which becomes mechanical. Learning is never cumulative; it is a movement of knowing which has no beginning or end."
— Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do
Blue Belt Syndrome at its core is losing the obsessiveness, the hunger, to keep learning at an exponential rate.
Once you reach a certain level of competence and success, your learning arc slows, as do its achievements.
Finding ways to continue to develop that arc becomes that much more important.
You have to stay curious; being all in on the learning process is what gets you to that next level.
This syndrome exists in all learning arcs; it’s a human thing, not a jiu jitsu thing.
Students of any discipline—piano, tennis, jiu jitsu, growing—experience this complacency that comes with being "good enough." Right now, I have Blue Belt Syndrome in chess.
We reach a point where we are decent, and our advancement slows in tandem with our curiosity. For me, chess isn't like growing, or martial arts, or music; it doesn't carry that same curiosity. I’m not compelled to keep that pedal to the metal.
The Learning Arc of an Autodidact
People who are self-taught, who maintain perpetual motivation through curiosity and the desire to continue to progress through their arc, are autodidacts.
Every great grower I know is an autodidact.
Generationally, we are more autodidactic than ever because it's easier than ever to be so.
Skills and the information around them used to be very nepotistic—things like growing weed, poker strategies, stock trading, etc.
Now, anyone with a small budget and enough time can learn 80% of what's needed to get “good enough” to take out untrained opponents.
“It is easy to teach one to be skillful, but it is difficult to teach him his own attitude.”
- Bruce Lee
Natural talent only gets you so far. It is your mindset that gets you the rest of the way. The more technical something is, the more consistency matters in the long run.
Developing a skill is a skill in itself.
That’s why, in jiu jitsu, a Black Belt can consistently beat a Blue Belt; it isn't because of natural ability, it's about years of dedication to an information-based system and time spent training their body to execute with that information.
The talent you start with only affects your timeline.
Mike Tyson was amazing at 17 years old. When he was 19, in his 6th year of boxing, he became the heavyweight champion.
Regardless of the skills you start with, it takes a minimum of 5-6 years for even the most advanced individuals to master a skill—prodigy athletes, chess players, pianists, they all take at least 5 years.
Most people take 10+ years to reach a level of mastery in their arc of choice.
It takes that to ingest and digest and internalize to where it becomes second nature. There is that much information.
And then, you have to apply that information.
You have to practice until you get it, and then practice until you can’t get it wrong, no matter how hard you try.
It's invaluable to always be in a learning arc in something you are super into.
As you go through this process repeatedly, new skills aren’t as daunting because you know how to learn;
Familiarity with your learning process has a huge correlation with your success. The most successful CEOS I know have several hobbies they are really into.
Getting better at something helps you understand the value of repetition and allows you to take on new challenges with less friction.
Neurological training occurs every time you practice something with intent.
Learning piano helps improve neurological training which helps you get better at learning everything else.
All learning processes include discomfort.
The talent is looking past the short-term emotional, physical, and mental frustration, focusing on the goals and the process.
Mental discipline is training even when you don't want to.
Champions aren’t made from training the days they want to.
Those with Blue Belt Syndrome have lost the obsessiveness to get better. Rekindling that desire is supported by having like-minded people along your path.
The question you have to ask yourself is: Do you care to master your skills?
It's an itch you have to scratch. And a big part of it is having the vision of seeing yourself better. Thinking, "I can get better. And I know how to be better. So now I need to do that."
Allow yourself time to explore new skills or improve other aspects of your life, especially if you are nearing burnout; Give yourself time and space; reflection is key to growth.
The key is to be perpetually learning; the particular hobby or skill you are working on is not even as relevant as always moving forward in something.
"The point is the doing of them rather than the accomplishments. There is no actor but the action; there is no experiencer but the experience."
— Bruce Lee
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This article is featured in Vol. 6 of The ETHOS Magazine.
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