Small wins: Conquering the no man's land between unfamiliarity and expertise

Of late, I've been fascinated by behavioral economics, and have been reading several authors from this genre: Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely, Daniel Kanheman, Dubner and Levitt, Angela Duckworth, Adam Grant(I suppose these last two belong more in the genre of psychology, but the re-branding of much of that genre as behavioral economics is a topic for another day). The newest addition to my list is Drive by Daniel Pink, a book that explores motivation in detail. The reason this genre is so intriguing to me is because it attempts to explain why we do what we do, which has always been something of a mystery. The amalgamation of what I've read in these books is my inspiration for this article.

Over the weekend, I was trying to finish up my music assignments since the deadline was looming quite close. One of these was particularly daunting to me: composing tiny phrases that adhere to the grammar of a musical scale(Raaga). After putting this off for ages, I sat down to make an attempt. For inspiration, I watched a few eminent musicians perform their interpretations and improvisations of the scale, but this was of little help to me because it was way too advanced. As I was pondering upon what to do, the following question echoed in my head. When you're a novice at something you'd like to learn, what is the deciding factor that makes you either give it up in frustration or excel in it and become an expert?

Think about it. Several people pick up an instrument aspiring to learn it. Register for a course hoping to master a new skill. Pick up a new hobby. Assuming that all people are equally motivated, why is it that only some are able to stick with what they started and achieve excellence?

If you answered talent, I urge you to read Angela Duckworth's Grit or my rough summary of it in The effort-talent paradigm. A one line takeaway from it is: Beyond a basic threshold, talent doesn't determine success. On the other hand, grit is what makes or breaks you. Grit is about persevering in the interest of long-term achievement, regardless of rewards or recognition. Grit is a powerful combination of ambition and resilience. 

Let's also take a closer look at motivation, which can be both intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivators usually come in the form of recognition, rewards(monetary or otherwise) and validation. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from within. It could be the pleasure of doing something or your curiosity to learn. Citing interesting research, Drive shows us that extrinsic motivators can sometimes be harmful. (In a future article perhaps, I will venture into the good and bad of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators)

Oftentimes, we are conditioned to looking solely at extrinsic motivators to evaluate our abilities. However, when we venture into something outside our comfort zone, we are deprived of these. That silence is quite daunting. To give you a more concrete example, we pick up that new instrument, and watch a YouTube video on learning to play a song in the hope that we'll accomplish something similar in a short time. At the end of that half hour, we get frustrated because we have only learned a few notes(and even that sounds raucous), and that song is so far beyond our reach. There is no one telling us that we are amazing, or that our talents are prodigious. Our initial penchant to learn is severely undermined by what seems like a lack of talent, and we are tempted to give up. How can we do better? How can we find it in us to persist on that journey? How can we feel happy while we are on that journey? 

In my opinion, looking for and identifying small wins can help one in walking that long lonely road between unfamiliarity and expertise. The idea is to be meta-cognitive and reinforce our intrinsic motivators as opposed to relying solely on extrinsic motivators. I heard this in an interview of an accomplished dancer. When asked how she defined success she said something akin to this: "In the world of art, name and fame are fickle--they come and go. Therefore, I don't associate these with my success. Success for me is about being able to dance for that one extra minute after two hours. It is about being able to hold that pose for a fraction of a second longer. It is about that slight increase in flexibility.These are more fulfilling than any rewards could be, and that is how I measure success."

This is the key to staying on that road. Being mindful and self-critical enough to keenly evaluate ourselves at every step. Being able to take that vision and long-term goal and break it down into tiny steps. Being able to identify aspects that we have gotten better at. Being unaffected by the lack of(or existence of) extrinsic motivators. 

These small wins can help us cultivate "grit".They can help us persevere longer. They can help us find a purpose in what we do.They can give us that sense of fulfilment regardless of what the world says to us.