Friday, July 29, 2011

Earlier Than You Think

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped - African proverb

If you are always getting stuck in the same corner, or getting hit in the same way, freezing, 'running out of angle' or losing your balance.
The problem is not at the moment of failure, it's in the moments leading up to it.
You are probably repeating a mistake, not noticing something important, playing your own game without watching your opponent, failing in your set up or lacking in guile.
Failure is the end result, not the problem, and the point of no return often comes much earlier than you think ..... Though having said that, the more creative you are, the later it tends to be.

7 comments:

Josh Kruschke said...

Failure should be followed by a ?.

:-)
Josh

Maija said...

If 'failure' is too loaded a term, in more words ...

When things don't go as you plan and your options tend to zero.

Implication being you have to change your plan before there are no options left ... and yes, I would submit there is such a point, and that the more creative you are in understanding all the dimensions you can change/influence, the later that moment can be.
So in absolute terms, there is no 'after' to 'failure', but how you define 'failure' IS variable - you know, don't 'die' till you are actually dead and all :-D

Josh Kruschke said...

:-)

I was a little hasty in get I'm comment off as you are correct.

The point I was trying to get at is we should never stop questioning what we are doing, because when we stop we won't even realize what we are doing isn't working or not going as we plan.

:-)
Josh

Josh Kruschke said...

P.s. Even when something works you should question it.

Even when something work or goes as planned, you should still question it.

Why did that work or go as planned?

Was that the most optimal thing to do?

Does it need to be improved?

Was I just lucky?

When you stop asking questions you stop learning.

:-D
Josh

Josh Kruschke said...

P.s.s. I guess the question that you could ask before the conclusion of events could be:

Is what I'm doing working?

Question before, during and after?

Sorry, thinking outloud her.

:-)
Josh

Maija said...

Well .... personally I think the best learning done 'during' is physical ... there's just no time for the conscious brain to interfere, and anything learned directly by the physical body through the senses seems to ingrain faster. At least that's been my experience.
If your brain is doing anything, it is relaying the screaming voice inside your head going 'NO' or 'DO' or 'CHANGE NOW' to the reast of your body ..... which often has to happen earlier than you think ...!
If you can notice it, you do something different from last time and see how it works out for you.

Now I do think there is a level of consciousness above 'unconscious competence', say 'meta conscious competence', where you have a part of your mind that is watching and controlling options in real time, but to me it FEELS very different from questioning HOW things are going which is way too time consuming.
There really is no time to evaluate, you just have to be in the moment, be in motion, and change. (In space, time, emotion, style, psychologically, all the different ways)

As far as analyzing when things are going well .... I wouldn't necessarily waste my time, especially not 'during'.
The 'edges' of success will become apparent at the next failure :-) .... which is why you have to play much, investigate much and fail much ....
And like my teacher said - "In training you are immortal. Die alot here so you don't have to when it matters".

Anonymous said...

Because acting is emotional brain based, and planning and evaluation is rational brain based, there is a huge disconnect between thinking while doing. Rote, repetitive drills can help fill this perception-action gap a bit since they establish reflexes that take no thought. Experience is key since it creates the ability to rapidly alternate evaluate-act-evaluate-act, but still sequentially - even the most experienced players pause, especially in range or when the tactics suddenly change. With enough time, a player will develop the 'meta-consciousness' Maija speaks of - an ability to 'witness' your actions, thoughts and feelings wherein strategic, tactical and technical adjustments occur spontaneously and in line with your intention.