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There's no speed limit (2009)

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Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#51

Post by Aushin »

sivers wrote: post #41
reason wrote: post #36

This is a great article. My problem is, however, that I take it to the extreme: I set unrealistic goals for myself seeing as there are about 50 different things I want to learn outside of school. I almost always never meet my goals, and I become really discouraged. It also seems like most successful people can point to an event, person, etc, in their past that served as a great turning point in putting them on the pa…

First: Don't be a donkey. http://sivers.org/donkey Also, ask yourself of those 50 different goals, which is something you HATE NOT doing? http://sivers.org/hatenot Focus on that goal, and let go of the rest. See my other reply here about the conditions of "flow". One is that you need to be getting immediate positive feedback on your actions. Maybe your 50 different goals aren't giving you any progress feedback, becau…

Is it possible to be a semi-donkey? I have, if I were to try to count, 4 major 'things' going on in my life right now. One is keeping fit, one is keeping up with free online learning resources like Udacity, one is my job, and one is learning to play guitar.

Are you suggesting that if I don't drop three of those, I won't succeed in any of them? That worries me a bit, because the job part takes up LOTS and LOTS of time, far more than the other three combined.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#52

Post by el_zorro »

I have found that this is very true. Right now, I'm studying physics at the undergraduate level. It's hard, but at the same time it doesn't feel challenging. I don't feel like I get very much out of my lessons. However, I did manage to get myself a job in one of the space science labs here on campus. I have learned so much from that work, simply because it is expected that I be as capable as the graduate students I work with. I have learned much, much more advanced physics and internalized it than I could ever do in my basic physics class. It's the challenge that educates you.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#53

Post by sivers »

Aushin wrote: post #51
sivers wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First: Don't be a donkey. http://sivers.org/donkey Also, ask yourself of those 50 different goals, which is something you HATE NOT doing? http://sivers.org/hatenot Focus on that goal, and let go of the rest. See my other reply here about the conditions of "flow". One is that you need to be getting immediate positive feedback on your actions. Maybe your 50 different goals aren't giving you any progress feedback, becau…

Is it possible to be a semi-donkey? I have, if I were to try to count, 4 major 'things' going on in my life right now. One is keeping fit, one is keeping up with free online learning resources like Udacity, one is my job, and one is learning to play guitar. Are you suggesting that if I don't drop three of those, I won't succeed in any of them? That worries me a bit, because the job part takes up LOTS and LOTS of time…

We all have multiple goals. (Be healthy. Be a great programmer. Be a great dad. Etc.)

You'll know if you have so many that it's holding you back, and paralyzing you.

If it's not a problem, if you're able to progress on all of them, then congrats! No need to change anything because of a silly blog post. ☺

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#54

Post by lusr »

sivers wrote: post #24
narag wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had read this story the first time, and now I've remembered right away the question I couldn't ask then: without a Kimo near, is there any book that explain the same harmony knowledge and allows a no-speed-limit approach?

Closest book I've found on the "no speed limit" approach was Tony Robbins' “Awaken the Giant Within”. It could have just been the timing of when I read it. Tim Ferriss told me the book that changed the way he saw the world was “Maximum Achievement” by Brian Tracy, but when I read it, it seemed like conventional wisdom. So maybe it's just timing. What I liked about Tony Robbins' message was this: * - Change happens in…

Some great advice. I'd like to add:

- Change: change is a sequence of stages you move through according to well-defined processes: (1) pre-contemplation (where you haven't started considering change, or are even aware it's an option), (2) contemplation (where you're considering change but haven't decided), (3) preparation (where you've decided to change and start preparing for the consequences of change), (4) action (where you actually practice change) and (5) maintenance (where you maintain change - going to gym once is change, but doesn't really count :)

That 'instant' you refer to is familiar to me and IMO it is when your brain collects enough awareness of your push/pull factors to move you from preparation (3) to action (4). Many people underestimate how critical preparation is, and for most people steps 1, 2 and 3 are not conscious at all and you will go back and forth over them for years. If you're quitting smoking but smoking gives you a break from your annoying boss, or it's how you socialise, or gives you access to the cute guy/girl you're into, and you go unprepared (unaware) into action and quit smoking you are highly likely to relapse (i.e. go back to stage 1 or 2).

I highly recommend reading Prochaska et al.'s "Changing for Good" (http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Good-Revolutionary-Overcoming...) to understand about the stages of change, how to evaluate where you are w.r.t. a certain change and if you're ready to move forward to the next stage, and the processes that help you move from one stage to the next (taster: 'commitment' is only suitable from the 3rd stage onwards, and can actually hurt your chances of successfully changing if you commit when you're in an earlier stage!).

- Changing the way you think: David Burns' books, particularly the "Feeling Good Handbook" (http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-Handbook-David-Burns/dp/0...), and Helmstetter's "What to say when you talk to yourself" (http://www.amazon.com/What-Say-When-Talk-Yourself/dp/0671708...)

- Awaken the Giant is a great book, and I get the timing thing you talk about. I read it first over ten years ago and it meant nothing to me. Having gained a bit of experience since then I listened to it recently about a month ago and suddenly I could relate to 90% of what was being said, and Robbins helped solidify a bunch of ideas that had previously just been floating around in my head.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#55

Post by kickstart »

Derek, this thread really resonates with me. I've been at a crossroads between 2 distinct paths for several years. Path A is a road I've been on for almost 14 yrs, and I've grown weary of it. W/o going into explanation, things have slowed on that road, and won't move forward w/o considerable effort. But I know exactly what needs to be done, there's little risk, it's very practical, and I will have company in the process, which I've come to realize is very important to me. On the other hand, I've always wondered about this Path B, w/o ever having taken any significant steps towards it. So I'd be starting from scratch, and yet it seems much less complex than Path A. I wouldn't have any company for probably a few years on Path B, so it's sure to be a lonely road at first. In the end it would be quite rewarding I'm sure, but I'd be letting down a lot of people by abondoning Path A. And I'm fairly certain that there's not enough time to pursue both Paths and do either one of them justice. Your thoughts on this??? Many thanks...

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#57

Post by sivers »

whyleyc wrote: post #50
sivers wrote: post #7

Surprised to see a post of mine here on Hacker News. (First time in a long time. Thanks!) Feel free to ask me absolutely anything here.

Great post - two questions: 1) What occupies your time these days Derek ? 2) Possibly related - what unfulfilled dreams do you still have ?

(1) : I'm spending most of my time learning Rails, Sinatra, Sequel, Nginx, JavaScript, jQuery, and Backbone, all back-to-back from books and test projects, quite intensely.

... because ...

(2) : If I die before turning these projects into reality, I'm going to be pissed-off! http://50pop.com/code

It's really my main drive these days, to finally launch these ideas I've had spec'd out for a long time.

I know I could just hire someone else to make them, but the joy (to me) is in the process, not the goal. I want to learn these programming techniques so well that I can quickly create all my future ideas, too.

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#58

Post by belnyc »

sivers wrote: post #43
belnyc wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi Derek, Do you have any experiences with or knowledge of speed learning being used to learn the physical skills of playing an instrument?

No, but my buddy Josh Kaufman, author of the great “Personal MBA” book, is doing a new project (and book) about exactly that! He's using speed-learning techniques to learn 6 different skills fast, and one of them is learning a new instrument. Contact him here - http://joshkaufman.net/about/ - to see if he could give you some starter points for now, until his book comes out much later.

Thanks, Derek!

Re: There's no speed limit (2009)

#60

Post by pepijndevos »

sivers wrote: post #7

Surprised to see a post of mine here on Hacker News. (First time in a long time. Thanks!) Feel free to ask me absolutely anything here.

Good to find this article again. I'm very autodidactic, and found universities so far disappointing for the lack of speed.

After you where taught everything, fast, why did you still go to Berklee? How was your time there?

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