Take driving, for example. At first, you'll be nervous, but with deliberate practice guided by a tutor, you'll get better. When you reach a base level of competence and pass a test, you'll get your license and be on the road. But for years, you'd find you haven't really gotten better at driving. You only reached a base level of competence that will get you by and that's it. The same goes for writing. School teaches us how to write until we reach a certain level of competence. But we don't get better by practicing what we already know. And that's because we are hard-wired to avoid pain.

We learn a new skill just enough to become competent.

Getting better at something means we have to know what to improve on and work on that. But It's in our nature to avoid pain. And getting better at something sure sounds like it would require a lot from us.So we resort to practicing what we already know, shying away from what we don't know that would make us be better.

We are hardwired to avoid pain.

So instead of practicing what you already know, you'd be practicing on areas you need to improve. But to do that:<ul><li> You first need to switch your perspective and see yourself through the eyes of others. This would help you recognize the areas you need to improve on.</li><li>Set aside dedicated time to work on the specific area you need to improve on.</li><li>You need feedback. Feedback from an expert, for example, will help you gauge your improvement because they know what the next level looks like. </li></ul>

The Seductive Path of Good Enough

Sammy Mugambi