{"id":7026,"date":"2014-08-14T10:38:51","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T09:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mentor.com\/colinwalls\/?p=7026"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:44:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:44:02","slug":"two-steps-forward-one-step-back-learning-from-setbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/embedded-software\/2014\/08\/14\/two-steps-forward-one-step-back-learning-from-setbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Two steps forward, one step back – learning from setbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I write this, I am a week away from a short vacation [so there will be a temporary radio silence around here next week] and, somehow, this puts me into a philosophical mood – pondering the meaning of life and all that. I wrote a while ago<\/a> about learning to swim – a journey which continues – and I have made plenty of progress, but I am still not quite where I want to be.<\/p>\n

I have realized that progress is not always simple forward movement …<\/p>\n

I came to swimming late in life – in my 50s – with an attitude of “better late than never”. I figured that all I needed was a skilled, patient teacher and I could learn to swim in much the same way as I have acquired other skills over the years. My assumption was that there are various specific things to learn and apply and, with practice, I would be confident in the water. Now, a couple of years down the line, swimming is very much part of my life and I realize that, although some of my assumptions were correct, being at home in the water takes more than the learning of a few facts.<\/p>\n

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#129746729<\/a> \/ gettyimages.com<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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First off, there is what I call “head vs heart”: I know that something is true, but find myself inhibited from putting that knowledge into practice. For example, early on I knew that, if I just leaned forward into the water and let my legs follow behind me, I would glide along, not sink like a stone. Knowing that did not help, as my heart overruled my head – I was unable to trust my knowledge. The role of a good teacher is to gently reconcile this disparity.<\/p>\n

Following on from this, I observed the phenomenon that I called “2 steps forward, 1 step back”. It seems that I could learn to do something, like unaided gliding that I mentioned above. Then, for some reason I would “forget” how to do it – lose my nerve perhaps. In due course, I would make my way back, perhaps with some gentle coaxing, and could start to make some more progress. The key thing I learned was not to be dispirited – if I could do something last week, there is no logical reason why I will not be doing it again in the near future.<\/p>\n

So, my advice is to listen to your head, as it will win out in the end. And, if you have a setback, just hang on in there and be patient.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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