The Adaptation Life Cycle

Our response to learning a new skill or facing a new challenge follows a predictable pattern:

The first stage is generally the most overwhelming: things feel especially hard. You question if you know what you’re doing and, at times, if you’re really up for the challenge.

But if you keep going, you’re usually rewarded with some progress. Things don’t feel easy yet, but now you have evidence that you can improve.

Keep doing this long enough and finally things feel easy. Not easy in the sense that you no longer have to exert effort, but easy in the sense that you no longer question your ability to rise to the occasion and excel.

If you’re facing something new and it’s feeling hard, there is comfort and reassurance in knowing that it’s supposed to be hard.

There’s no reason to conclude that you’re off track, in fact if you’ve chosen to keep pushing then I’d say you’re probably exactly where you need to be, making the exact effort that needs to be made.