Part 2 -The Tragic Misunderstanding of Plateaus
In part 1 of 2 in this series, I explored the path of mastery, or rather what the process of long term learning and growth looks like according to George Leonard’s 1992 book Mastery: The keys to success and long-term fulfillment. Leonard hypothesizes that pursuits in mastery are a process rather than a destination or level of accomplishment. He defines mastery quite beautifully as “the path of patient, dedicated effort without attachment to immediate results.” In this continuation, I explore the role of plateaus - what they are, how we relate to them - on the path of mastery.
Leonard defines the plateau as:
“The plateau is the long stretch of diligent effort with no seeming progress”
George Leonard, “Mastery”
Diligent effort with no seeming progress. I’m sure this would be some people’s definition of living hell in the 21st century; a fitting place to resume exploration.
Love the Plateau
Social media is a powerful tool. We're all so connected - to each other, to ideas, to products. But the great interconnectedness of our global society and highlight-reel culture has compressed and skewed our sense of, and timeline for, achievement and change. This holds particularly true in the health-wellness and performance industry, where the modus operandi is often sold as a quick fix:
6-minute 6-pack
30-day body transformations
Take this pill to fix your health, not those vegetables.
Solve your back pain, social awkwardness and libido with this ONE single exercise
Because of this trend in our culture, plateaus have developed a seriously negative stigma; we avoid them like the plague. But Leonard wants us to understand that plateaus are actually the magic sauce!
Plateaus are not an indicator of regression but rather a requirement for progression!
Plateaus are not an indicator of regression, rather a requirement for progression. When we switch our perspective like that, our relationship to being on a plateau can transform. The plateau is the time between PR’s, the time with failed reps and the time when the scale doesn't move regardless of all the things you’re doing right. Which can be disappointing if we assumed the path of progress would be linear progression, or worse, our efforts were always about the outcome rather than the act of practice itself.
Disappointment and suffering are often a result of misalignment between expectations and experienced reality. Don’t let the “seeming non-progress” of plateaus throw you off course. When you think “geez, I haven’t improved in a while… I'm on a plateau…” *Alarms should ring!* Reminding you that it’s an indicator of being on the path of mastery. Don’t jump ship now! Recalibrate and remind yourself that the act of practicing is what creates (eventual) change and growth. It is not promised on your 1-day Amazon-prime delivery timeline.
Focus on Practicing VS Accomplishing
A mindset of "practicing" vs "accomplishing" can create so much incremental growth! What does this look like in action applied at the gym and to my health?
Practice your healthy eating habits… without regard for the daily # on the scale.
Practice your mobility for the snatch receiving position… without regard for a daily PR.
Practice your hollow hold on the path to T2B… without regard for winning the workout.
Practice your bounce out of the hole… without regard for lifting more than your neighbor or even more than yesterday.
According to Leonard:
“If our life is a good one, a life of mastery, most of it will be spent on the plateau. If not, a large part of it may well be spent in restless, distracted, ultimately self-destructive attempts to escape the plateau.”
(Batman b*tch-slap goes here!)
This feels like zen buddhism and stoicism have entered the conversation. We've all heard the phrase: the obstacle is the way. Perhaps they meant to add, the plateau is the path.
It’s understandable if you’re still wary of plateaus, or feel a deep desire (and belief) that you should avoid them and could blow past them completely. To help me reformat my own relationship with plateaus, I started by viewing them similarly to a computer downloading a software update in the background. Once the download has finished, you get the new shiny operating system (in the gym - you earn the new strength, the new skill, the PR), but you have no idea how long the download will take and there is no progress bar indicating time to completion. All you can do is continue to PRACTICE and create your work in the meantime. All this to say, you can still set goals. PR's can still bring your joy. You can still want to compete and win. But don't mistake the accomplishment with the practice.
In Summary
Enjoy your training (AKA practice).
Love the plateau.
Make progress.
The beautiful trick is to realize that these are “AND” statements not mutually exclusive “OR” statements.