Disrupt Yourself, With a New Introduction

1

Take the Right Risks

Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thoughts.

—Henry David Thoreau

You’re trying something new: you’ve made a lateral move, been promoted, or started a new job. You are confident that you can be successful, but so much is unfamiliar. It’s easy to become frustrated. Take a deep breath, and remember that at the beginning of this S-shaped growth curve, progress will be slow.

Very little is habitual at the low end of a learning curve. Considerable effort may seem to yield few results. Mapping new mental territory and creating new neuronal and electrochemical connections take time.¹ But, as you practice, new neural networks are formed, and stimulating one neuron ...