Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle, (17) Embrace Struggle, Notes

Post date: Oct 15, 2018 1:32:27 PM

Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle

TIP #17 EMBRACE STRUGGLE

Intently reaching for something, falling short, and reaching again is how talent is developed. Deep practice provides the feeling of “struggle.” Most instinctively avoid struggle because it’s uncomfortable, because it feels like failure. However, when it comes to developing talent, struggle isn’t an option, it’s necessary. The struggle and frustration you feel at the edges of your abilities—that uncomfortable burn of “almost, almost”—is the sensation of constructing new neural connections, a phenomenon called “desirable difficulty.” The brain works just like the muscles: no challenge, no gain.