Making great progress in the beginning makes us think that we are on the right track. We start to see results, we feel empowered, and we keep going. But after a while, we stop improving. We reach a plateau. And the reason for this has nothing to do with us hitting a ceiling of our potential. It has everything to do with how our approach changes once we get comfortable.
When we start something new, we are focused. Every movement is conscious. Every error is analyzed. Every piece of feedback is received. Once we get good at it, we just go through the motions. Yes, we get more efficient. But we also get less conscious. We practice less, we repeat more. And repeating something doesn’t give you new feedback, so no adaptation happens. What worked to get you there, doesn’t work to take you further.
Another reason we plateau is because we focus on the same problem. When we succeed, we repeat what worked. We start playing it safe. We take less risks. And so there is no challenge. The system has adapted to what we are doing, so it has no reason to adapt. Learning requires resistance, but playing safe means zero resistance. It feels stable, but we aren’t improving.
Yet another reason we plateau is because we don’t change our goals. In the beginning, our goals are exciting because they are clear and achievable. Once we achieve them, they lose their appeal. We keep going, but the same goals don’t drive us in the same way. If we don’t create new goals, our practice becomes aimless. Learning becomes sustenance rather than development. And we don’t sustain because we see no progress.
So to overcome a plateau, we need to bring back focus, resistance, and goals. To slow down, observe the details, seek out the more difficult version, and set new targets. Progress starts again, not because we are doing more, but because we are doing it differently. Fast progress in the beginning is not the end, it’s a sign that it is time to change. Those who understand this continue to progress, while others think they are done.