By Randy Ross

Lesson #5 – Learning to Learn

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Ironically the first step to becoming successful is to understand what it takes to learn something new and to give yourself permission to fail or at least stumble a few times. Let me explain. One of my favorite passions is to play conga drums. The conga drum is basically only three notes; bass, tone and slap. I can teach you the bass note in probably less than 30 seconds. I can teach you a tone in five minutes. You probably won’t sound great but you will be able to play it. I can teach you some semblance of a slap in fifteen minutes. Again it won’t sound great, but you will be playing.  At this point you will be feeling pretty good and realize how easy this is going to be.  However, you are at the first level of learning called unconscious incompetence. In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know. We sometimes use the phrase “He/She is clueless” to describe this state. Another classic example of this is a child going to ride a bicycle for the first time. Johnny jumps on the bike and two seconds later he lands on the ground. He has just experienced unconscious incompetence.

Imagine next that I will teach you a simple rhythm on the conga drums.  I am confident that you will do fine. Then I will play an interlocking rhythm with you. You will immediately realize how difficult these three notes are going to be. It will be almost impossible for you to keep playing your simple part and not be “pulled” into my cross rhythm.  This is known as the level of conscious incompetence.  It is the scariest level for people to be at, especially adults.  You will have to give yourself permission to make mistakes, in fact, lots of them. Drumming, especially African drumming requires split second timing. The only way to learn it is through a lot of practice.

Most of us operate in a safe comfort zone everyday in our studies or jobs. When we go to learn something new, that comfort zone is removed. However, if you stay with it, then you will eventually reach the level we all love. This is unconscious competence. You will be able to sit down and just play. Johnny will be able to ride a bicycle without thinking about it.

The final level is mastery. This is for people that dedicate many years to learning a specific instrument or profession.

This course is going to push you out of your comfort zone. If you are a touch-feely type person, probably my business sections on personal marketing and efficiency are going to take a few attempts to understand. If you are a Type A sales person, my touchy-feely sections on Eastern philosophy and guided vision stories are going to make you nervous. So give yourself a present, allow yourself not to be perfect on the first few passes, build new tools for your success toolbox, and then let’s go together and create stupendous success!  Each new tool I provide will require some learning and practice. If you get stuck, come back with a fresh perspective the next day and try again. The Marines say that ‘pain is weakness leaving the body.”  I like to paraphrase this and say, “Stretching your comfort zone is failure leaving your life.”

If you clearly understand these four levels of learning then you should have inner confidence that you can and will succeed at anything you study. It may not happen  on the first or second or even 20^th attempt, but it you stay with it, it is a guarantee that mastery will eventually come. Let me give you a personal example. A key part of African drumming is the six bell. It is a pulse that can be heard over even the loudest drumming. The six bell is the time keeper or perhaps better described as a code. If you know the code, you will always know exactly where your part should match up. Unlike most American rhythms where every note falls cleanly on the down beat or the upbeat, the six bell marks notes also on the in between  beats. Many of my fellow drummers mastered this within a couple of weeks. It took me four months! I could play the six bell close to correct, but the timing has to be exact.  I persisted and finally one day it clicked in.

The quote below is from one of the most famous and talented sports players the world has ever seen. Can you identify the speaker?

"I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot...and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

If someone as great as Michael Jordan can give himself permission to fail, so can you!

         Lesson One |  Lesson Two    |  Lesson Three | Lesson Four   | Lesson Five

          Lesson Six  |  Lesson Seven | Lesson Eight   |  Lesson Nine  | Lesson Ten

·         Are you willingly to give yourself permission to stumble a few times before hitting your goal? Is there a situation now you are avoiding because you may not be perfect the first time out?

·         What are the four steps of learning?

·         Critical Thinking: In order to move toward any type of goal, you are going to have to learn new skills and move out of your comfort zone. Write in 200 words or less what will motivate you to do this. Envision yourself making a mistake, acknowledging the mistake and then moving on. Then see yourself performing the new skill effortlessly and with one hundred percent confidence.

          Lesson One |  Lesson Two    |  Lesson Three | Lesson Four   | Lesson Five

          Lesson Six  |  Lesson Seven | Lesson Eight   |  Lesson Nine  | Lesson Ten

      Note: Educators and Webmasters, you are welcome to use and 

      modify this lesson material without charge as long as credit is given 

      to the author (Randy Ross) and the website name

      (unstoppablesuccess.com). Send questions and comments to  

      randyross@unstoppablesuccess.com

Copyright 2006 Randy Ross  http://www.unstoppablesuccess.com

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