Mistakes are information on where to reach next.
I've just listened to Coyle (2026) and that quote called my attention. The video itself if full of examples (and I honestly haven't checked the cited sources), but the main takeaways for me feel worth registering, so I'll do it for my own benefit.
The video boils down to:
- Deliberate (or deep) practice happens when you act at the edge of your ability. Where you are skilled enough to feel a bit competent, but not skilled enough to not make mistakes. What you then do is taking those mistakes and use them as information to get better and repeat and repeat and repeat
- Talent is often a function of the environment. There is inspiration, method, peer groups, etc. You don't learn to love stuff in a void, you don't get motivation to go through the frustrating process of deliberate practice out of thin air.
So even without checking this sounds relatable. The question is then, how to create those environments? How to incentivize people (or my children for that matter) to persist on things that are inherently frustrating (but deeply rewarding)? How to bring people to a place they can be excellent?