Lost in a valley of disappointment?
The Plateau of Latent Potential
In the concept of latent potential, consistency matters a lot. You are what you do, not once but consistently.
Everyone is looking for instant gratification. If they don’t get it, they either blame themselves or even the entire concept of self-improvement. People are always wishing things would get better. A lot of people have target goals on their desks.
Someone wants to lose weight, bag a degree, develop a skill, build a network, develop a new habit. They wish they think; they hope to take action. Some have even started by taking a few steps but backed out, relaxed, or stopped taking action most times because they expect overnight results, which is not forthcoming.
According to the author of atomic habits, James Clear, Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Getting 1% better every day counts for a lot in the long run. In the concept of latent potential, consistency matters a lot. You are what you do, not once but consistently. Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold.
The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.
Latent Potential refers to the powers and possibilities within you but not yet actualized. As humans, we expect progress to be linear; that is, we expect our efforts to be yield quick results, but in reality, our results are often delayed. The outcomes of our results are often revealed months or years later after consistent and deliberate efforts.
In the plateau of latent potential, small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. Then, the most powerful outcomes of any computing process are delayed. This is known as the “valley of disappointment.” You just need to be patient.
In this valley, people tend to lose motivation. This is often the stage where most people give up. The process of change is not always easy. As humans, we tend to give up when something is difficult, or others seem to be moving faster than us. We have forgotten the fact that true change can be very hard, and it comes with paying the prices of consistency and patience.
You need to keep doing what you have to do even if the results are not visible for now.
The Goldilocks Rule states that “ Humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Where there is motivation, anyone can work hard and put in their best. However, the ability to keep going when things aren’t as exciting and motivating makes all the difference.
The key is to realize that the journey is in progress, not an end. It is not about any single major accomplishment. It is about the cycle of continuous improvement. The actions you develop over time build up the potential you require to unleash a major change.
If you will have a breakthrough moment, you should focus on consistency and deliberate practice.
Do not try to change everything at once. Instead, observe and follow the curve of tiny gains and losses. There is no such thing as an overnight success. We all, at one point or the other, have to pass through the valley of disappointment
To make a significant difference, consistency and patience are needed to break through the plateau of latent potential.
You need to keep doing what you have to do even if the results are not visible for now.
The Valley of disappointment does not last forever.
Do not stop.
Just keep going.
Your success is nearer than you can imagine.
You’re closer than you think you are.
Your success is nearer than you can imagine.
Your breakthrough moments are here.
