Remember the pogo stick? Other than riding a bike without training wheels, it was one of the first activities I remember having to really practice over and over again before I got it. To get just a couple of jumps on this one-legged device before falling off was tough in the beginning! Once a couple of jumps was down, then moving up to seven or eight jumps became the challenge, and it continued until “voila!” You had a breakthrough and just got it.
Sometimes, the frustrating part about learning something new is not knowing exactly when you are going to get it. It takes doing the same thing over and over again to create that new neural pathway, and although 21 days may help us create the habit, deeply ingrained behaviors that rest on a heavily rooted belief system are tough to change.
This truth is one of the reasons I became a coach. For me, being a coach has shifted the way I not only show up in the world of work, but has shifted me personally. It’s the commitment to lifelong growth & development, the willingness to be flexible and see with a new lens, the recognition that my reality is just that, my reality, and to allow the space, the grace, not to know; to live more gently with ambiguity as a friend.
So no, although we may seek to grow into a deeper, more whole person, we can’t predict our breakthroughs. I witness clients dedicated to working hard toward their coaching goals, and many times, it is simply having faith and a belief in something not yet realized that gives them the motivation to keep on going. To keep trying a few more jumps and knowing that at some point, they will have a breakthrough.
How does your vision of what you want impact your belief in yourself? Where are you seeking a breakthrough, but not experiencing progress? What can you learn about yourself right now?