Archive for March, 2011
Moving backward to Go Forward
My daughter is learning how to crawl. The only problem is she is moving backwards like a car stuck in reverse. She is getting into the crawling position fine but when she pushes up with her little arms she slides backwards.
It’s cute to watch but I feel her frustration. The toy or object just out of reach and after a few moments of intense struggle she finds the goal seems to have moved further away than when she started.
It bothers me seeing her get frustrated even though I know it’s very much a part of the necessary learning curve. She has to go through this but before long she will be crawling, and then walking, and finally running. She has to get through this backward moment to propel forward.
This kind of thing happens to us as adults as well. You see it a lot when golfers learn a new swing. There is a period when their game actually gets worse. It takes time for them to integrate the new technique into their muscle memory.
A lot of us really feel like we are moving backwards when we leave a nice safe secure job to Start our own business, go back to school, or take care of the kids. This can be pretty much any life change that you can think of. There is that learning curve and breaking in time. It can be stressful while you endure it. However once you have surpassed that learning curve you will be up and running and glad you did it.
