Overcoming Plateaus

OVERCOMING PLATEAUS How to embrace the suck and be awesome.

Plateaus Defined

Plateaus: To reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off

One definition of Professional Plateaus is the point where employees find their jobs unchallenging and providing few opportunities for professional development and future employability.

What are personal limitations and how do the affect me?

Recognizing that you have limitations is the first step to overcoming barriers to personal growth and development.

If you are unwilling to admit to any problems or weaknesses in your life, there is no way that you will overcome these problems and weaknesses.

After you realize that you have limitations (because everyone does), you must figure out what exactly those limitations are.

What are YOUR limitations (or are they excuses)?

Don’t understand legal terminology?

Fear you will never sign like that CODA friend of yours?

“I can’t interpret for kids, they sign too English”

I don’t “do” platform.

So now what?How do you grow?Do you want to?Are you OK with that? If not, “do do”?

The TRUTH

Most of your “can’ts” are actually “won’ts.”

Excuse?…Limitation?…Which is it? Here is a personal example of something I felt was

a limitation in my own life. Really, it was a series of excuses: Running.

I used everything in the book: No time, work, the kids, family. I always said, I will after (insert excuse here). I felt I had the drive, not the opportunity. That was the limitation I put on myself.

The only limitation in all that…was there are only 24 hours in the day.

Everything else…Excuses.

Acceptance of Limitations

There are things you can’t overcome.

Guess what?

That is okay. No need to focus on what you can’t change.

Focus on what you can.

Turning Perceived Limitations into Plateaus

Paul Fitts and Michael Posner were two

psychologists who researched how there are three levels of skill

acquisition.

The First Stage

The first stage of skill acquisition is the cognitive phase.

This is the when you concentrate on what you are doing. You are figuring out what you are doing and have to give it lots of mental attention.

The cognitive phase is when you are going to make the most mistakes.

Stage Two

The second stage is the associative phase. During this phase, you will make fewer mistakes. This is when you start to feel comfortable and let yourself loosen up a bit.

I call this…”Yeah, I think I can do this” stage.

The Final Stage

The final stage is the autonomous phase.

That’s fancy talk for “Auto pilot mode.”

When you can do it blindfolded with your hands behind your back. Well, maybe not while interpreting!

You Will Plateau! After those 3 stages…YOU

WILL PLATEAU. If you don’t, you have not

completed them. Understanding how you

learn will help you map your way through your plateaus.

The Map

1. Go for it!2. Embrace the suck.3. Get help.4. Keep it real.5. Practice deliberately. 6. Go back to your roots.7. Make it happen.

Go For It!

Strap them floaties on and jump in the deep end.

If you don’t try, you automatically fail.

There is no reward without risk.

Embrace the Suck.

This is a military term, which basically means…It isn’t not going to be easy but it has to be done.

When you step up, you are going to have to accept that you may fail, repeatedly.

There is a Japanese proverb that says something to the extent of, “Fall down 8 times, get up 9”

You will learn from those failures.

Get Help.

Get a Mentor, guru, Jedi, drill sergeant …Someone

Someone who will be honest and not hold back.

Our friends tend to be our worst enemies.

Find a hero. Someone who displays the attributes you lack. They don’t have to be in our field.

Here are mine:This guy. Dave “The Iatola of Rock and Rolla” Grohl

And this guy:

Practice deliberately.

1. Focus on technique2. Stay goal-oriented3. Get immediate feedback on the

performance

Read the Winter 2012 RID Views Article by Windell “Wink” Smith

http://www.winkasl.com/Wink/Home_files/Talent%20Article%20.pdf

Get Back to Your Roots

Going back to what got you where you are now is important.

It helps you find your gaps. Keeps you from becoming lazy. Reminds you why you do what you

do.

Make it Happen.

If you follow this plan and look long-term, plateaus are speed bumps, not mountains.

Look at the big picture. When you encounter another

plateau, you will remember you have overcome others and it made you better and stronger.