🤔 INTERESTING
There are 2 types of talent
Natural talent and Earned talent.
Of course when you're born with traits that make you "look like a natural", you have a leg up. But if you stop there, you'll never meet your full potential.
When I was a kid, I never thought of myself as someone who could draw. I just enjoyed doing it and thought it was fun.
And you should see the visual metaphors I first posted 4 years ago! Each one took me an embarrassing amount of time and the result wasn't all that great.
But I kept at it, and after 900+ visuals…I got better! That's earned ability and something anyone can do.
It's time to earn your talent.
* Side note: When I posted this visual, there was meaningful dialogue around whether there is such a thing as “natural talent” in the first place. I have my own thoughts, but curious to hear what you think.
📐 DESIGN
The J-Curve (aka “the dip”) visualizes the experience of trying to do something to improve the current situation, BUT with a warning embedded in the curve: it gets worse before it gets better.
Notice there’s a before state, a moment of change, and an after state.
It’s important the "after" level be much HIGHER than the "before" level, instead of a return to status quo. The dip acts like a rubber band pulled down first so it can fly higher later!
The following is an example inspired by a clip from "The Curiosity Shop" with Adam Grant and Brené Brown that introduces the idea of "adaptive guilt."
In this example, the J-curve shows after feeling guilty for doing a bad thing, we can self-reflect and grow into a version of ourselves that meets a higher standard of behavior.
By the way if you like stuff like this, Cohort 16 of Thinking in Visual Metaphors starts in late June. Sign up for the waitlist here.
🤓 WHAT I’M READING NOW
Today I wanna give a big shoutout to one of our Thinking in Visual Metaphors Alumnus, Dr. Khai Win, for launching her first book, “T.H.I.N.K. To Lead!”
I can’t explain how meaningful it is to see Khai’s growth in simplifying complexity in the work she’s doing in neuroscience and mental wellness.
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