Everybody can have ideas — not everyone can bring them to life.
Read on and see what kind of creator you are...
You see, there’s a vicious emotional journey that you need to persistently traverse if you want to come out winning on the other side…
The Emotional Cycle of Change!
A few weeks ago, Peter called me with a new idea.
And without giving too much away, it sounded like a pretty cool innovation!
“I’m going to add the latest WiFi chip… or maybe Bluetooth… battery life might be a problem… I’ll think of something…”
He couldn’t contain his excitement, jumping from one idea to the next.
Flash forward. New call. Still Peter.
But now he was worried.
He was stuck, paralyzed by all the choices.
By actually looking deeper into the subject and trying to solve the problem, he’d realized just how much work he’d have to do.
I calmed Peter down, and gave him some direction.
And a week later he was out of the valley with renewed optimism.
So, what had happened?
Peter had made his way through what Kelley and Conner dubbed the Emotional Cycle of Change.
This journey is experienced by pretty much everyone whenever they want to learn or start something new.
Let’s have a look at each stage…
I’m sure you’ve felt all these emotions before… so feel free to nod your head as you read!
1. Uninformed Optimism
You don’t know what you don’t know.
And you dive right in with aspirations of becoming a master, or creating something amazing.
This was Peter’s first call, where he was happily throwing ideas together.
But then doubt starts creeping in…
2. Informed Pessimism
The deeper you dive into the topic, the more you realize how little you know.
Don’t worry!
It’s perfectly healthy to have some self-doubt and uncertainty at this stage.
You can use this as an opportunity to dive right in and build the skills you need.
Just don’t let this self-doubt take hold of you… if you’re not careful, you’ll end up with these unhealthy responses to your ignorance:
Or worse…
3. Valley of Despair, or Hopeful Realism
Sometimes the lack of knowledge can be overwhelming. Other times it can be refreshing.
And it all comes down to the way you approach this stage.
If the fear of the unknown sets in — it will seem so great that you turn your back on this new challenge and go back to what you know.
Back to what’s safe…
This is what 90% of people end up doing:
And with each new turn of the cycle, they get more upset at the outcome…
If only they stuck with it and turned their realism into hope!
If you need some extra assistance with this, I recommend you read Grit, by Angela Duckworth. It provides you with scientifically proven and realistic ways to ride through this emotional rollercoaster.
4. Informed Optimism
Once you develop the skills you need to succeed, and you KNOW you have them, you hit the road with renewed optimism!
And the great thing now?
It’s not misplaced!
And believe me, if you stick with it and cover these stages successfully, you’ll now be hitting the last stage…
5. Success & Fulfilment
Congratulations!
You set yourself a challenge, and you stuck with it.
Sip that margarita on the beach… cos you made it!
Is this it?
Oh no! By no means…
You’ll soon be running through this emotional rollercoaster again with your next learning experience.
But you don’t have to go at it alone…
Let’s connect: Send me a message or just say hello:
