We are constantly adapting to our environment and activities, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.
The specific adaptation to imposed demands (SAID) is one such basic principle. The SAID principle states that the human body will adapt specifically in response to the demands and stresses placed on it. -1
This is not only true for physical adaptations of course, but also mental and moral2 . Any changes to a complex system affect the whole system. In their book Building the Elite, Jonathan Pope and Craig Weller use a great model to describe this principle. They speak about the importance of changing your mental models3 to become more effective with regard to the effects of our actions.
The specific adaptation to imposed demands (SAID) is one such basic principle. The SAID principle states that the human body will adapt specifically in response to the demands and stresses placed on it. (1)
This is not only true for physical adaptations of course, but also mental and moral(2) . Any changes to a complex system affect the whole system. In their book Building the Elite, Jonathan Pope and Craig Weller use a great model to describe this principle. They speak about the importance of changing your mental models(3) to become more effective with regard to the effects of our actions.
Much of what we do during the day is not even dictated by conscious decision making. We are following models we have built through habit over time. What we look like, how we think, how we learn, how we observe… all these things are determined by our consistent actions over time… our habits. This is true whether we are aware of it or not, and whether we like the results (“side effects”) or not. The idea presented in this section of the book recommended changing the script (model) you use to describe the effects of your training or any behavior for that matter. They use the idea that there are no such things as side effects. There are desired effects. There are also almost certainly unintended effects of some kind because we are unable to accurately predict the outcome of any change to a complex system (a human being certainly qualifies!) with so many interdependent elements. The important thing is that these are all effects. When you adopt this way of thinking, you are able to identify the various effects you observe and you can prioritize or modify your training approach as necessary to keep your efforts in alignment with your priorities.
This brings us to the main topic of this article. It is important that you identify your priorities. It is very difficult to reach a destination if you don’t even know where you are going.
So, how do you identify what your “main thing” is? You may have an overarching priority and a number of related priorities that support it (each representing a part of the system). Once you have identified your priorities, you can use that as a road map to direct your choices and actions so that they lead to effects that will support your growth in a way that is important to you. It will also allow you to avoid or minimize undesired effects that those less aware might consider unanticipated side effects.
As you are considering what your priorities might be, here are a few ideas (models) that may be helpful. Don’t get caught up using a single line of thinking, a single model. Look through various lenses and you will come up with a better solution. Also, once you identify your priorities, don’t be afraid to allow your models to evolve as you gain experience. Your main goals will be much more stable than your short-term goals, but nothing should be set in stone.
Model - Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation.
Let’s use the term motivation as roughly “being moved to do something”. There are a number of things that motivate us to certain behavior.
Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfactions rather than for some separable consequence. When intrinsically motivated a person is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external prods, pressures, or rewards…
… Extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome. Extrinsic motivation thus contrasts with intrinsic motivation, which refers to doing an activity simply for the enjoyment of the activity itself, rather than its instrumental value.(5)
We are not going to go into exhaustive detail here. Generally speaking, intrinsically motivating factors are more powerful motivators. When you are doing an activity because it is important to you in and of itself, rather than for some external reward, you experience freedom and autonomy. The task itself is the reward. When you learn to love the process, which is not always pleasant or comfortable, it will accelerate your growth.
Extrinsic rewards as motivation can vary in effectiveness. Most of the time, if you are doing something for external approval or some other award, the motivation is not as high. From the same paper cited above:
Extrinsically motivated behaviors—those that are executed because they are instrumental to some separable consequence—can vary in the extent to which they represent self determination. Internalization and integration are the processes through which extrinsically motivated behaviors become more self-determined.
I personally choose to look at these lines as a spectrum, with the lines a little blurred at the edges rather than a black and white either / or proposition. To clarify, let’s make an example of a young person who has set as their goal (priority) excellence in their sport and competition / winning a gold medal in the Olympic games in their chosen discipline.
One question is why? Is the motivation the gold medal Fame? Endorsements? Does it come from what others will think of you if you win? Maybe the motivation comes from the young person’s love of the sport. Perhaps the goal of the gold in the Olympics represents to the athlete the ultimate proof to themselves that they have achieved what they set out to do… become the best in the world at what they love to do. The reward in this case would still be extrinsic (gold medal at the Olympics), but can you see how the motivation would be different? I think it would be easier in the last example to find intrinsic motivations to support the extrinsic goal. The young athlete would be more inclined to learn to love the process, even when it was unpleasant, because they could see progress toward fulfilling the purpose they find valuable and important.
In my studies of “flow state” and expertise and its development(6) , I have come across consistent principles demonstrating that high levels of performance and the sweet spot for learning are often uncomfortable. Stress produces growth, so any time we are learning or adapting, we will likely be uncomfortable in some way.
Model – Compelled, Impelled, Freely Chosen.
This model is related to extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a way. Compelled refers to externally imposed motivations. If someone else tells you “You should…”. If your primary reason for doing something comes from someone else’s priorities, you will not have the same level of motivation you would if you were pursuing the things that are personally important to you. Compelled behavior rarely leads to high levels of performance and can lead to resentment.
Impelled is related, but the voice comes from you. “I should…”. A friend of mine was told during a counselling session once “don’t should on yourself”. That’s good advice. Guilt, shame, etc. are not good fuel for motivation. I think this is frequently related to compelled behavior in a way, because it frequently seems to be linked to what the decision maker thinks of how others will perceive their actions. Freely chosen behaviors, however, are motivated by your own priorities. This does not mean that the behavior will be pleasant or comfortable, but it does mean it will be in alignment with what is important to you and will not be imposed by others. This is where you will find your more powerful intrinsic motivations that will drive the habits and behaviors necessary for excellence.
As an example of how some of these models can overlap, I want to look at an example of a well-respected trainer in the field of self protection, Craig Douglas (7) . I don’t personally know Mr. Douglas, so some of these details may be off, but use this as intended… an example to illustrate the point we are looking at here.
Craig Douglas came from a career in law enforcement, with much of his career (over 20 years) in narcotics and SWAT. From where he is today, I feel comfortable presuming he had a driving interest in ongoing development of self protection skills. This does not come from the career. I know from my own experience in law enforcement that most people were content to do only the training required by their agency. This is not restricted to law enforcement. I have seen that attitude in every job I have worked over my lifetime. Craig Douglas has reached a level of expertise and excellence in his domain that is well beyond what most people achieve. The nature of the classes he teaches is informed by his experiences. He focuses on extreme close quarters conflicts involving weapons (blades and firearms) in unconventional environments (example: inside a vehicle). One of his achievements is that he is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ).
Attaining a black belt in BJJ is quite an accomplishment and requires a great deal of work. There are many reasons why someone could pursue that as a goal. For some, it is a status symbol. For others, it could be the key to competing at a high level in combat sport events that they are interested in. For Mr. Douglas, it appears to be a sub-goal that supports his overall priority of developing the highest level of skill he can achieve in his discipline. Most people who practice BJJ do so from a sport perspective. Mr. Douglas has worked with others of considerable experience in the field and through relentless experimentation have developed a highly effective, tested, proven method of fighting under extreme conditions related to self- protection problems you might find “on the street”. I personally believe the black belt in BJJ was an extrinsic motivator (external reward) that was valuable in that way, but more so because it supported his primary priorities which were in line with his strongest intrinsic motivators (a relentless drive to continue to excel and improve his expertise, not only in personal development but in his ability to effectively teach it to others…a process that continues today).
My recommendation is to do an honest assessment and identify what is most important to you overall. Set your sub-categories to support your top priority. In other words, ask yourself how does this look in my work, my family and friends, my hobbies? What training or learning goals support those priorities? Which of your current habits support these priorities? Which habits may be slowing your progress? There will be many opportunities that will look cool or fun, but would be a distraction from attaining your main goals. Finally, once you have your map, set out to pursue the process day by day. It is habits, not hacks, that will allow you to reach the heights of performance in whatever discipline you choose to pursue. Whether it is self-protection skills (my area of interest), cooking, art (graphic, music, performance), scholarly pursuits, finance or business, athletics… I encourage you to pursue the highest level of excellence in whatever it is that interests you.
[1] Pearson D Faigenbaum A Conley M et al. The National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Basic Guidelines for the Resistance Training of Athletes. Strength Cond J. 2000;22:14‐27
[2] Blog – Definitions: 3 Spheres
[3] Blog – Taking the “Red Pill”…
[4]Building the Elite: The Complete Guide to Building Resilient Special Operators (pg. 35), Jonathan Pope, Craig Weller
[5] Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions- Richard M. Ryan, Edward L. Deci
[6] Examples: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Peak: Secrets of the New Science of Expertise – Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool