Unlearn

Unlearn will show you how to win even in changing circumstances by revealing why the patterns you used for past successes won’t always work and how to adopt a learning attitude to stop them from holding you back.

The best-ranked woman tennis player in 2010 was Serena Williams. In the next season, she sat out the first half due to injury and her performance afterward wasn’t great. By 2012 she saw herself losing to a low-ranked player at the French Open.

With a determination to keep trying, Williams started making dramatic changes to her process. She got a new coach who helped her implement new techniques. Williams had won all four Grand Slam titles by the end of the 2015 season.

She’d unlearned how to be a tennis champion and relearned what success really took.

This story is inspiring for those with big aspirations and teaches a crucial principle of success. When Williams got back to playing in 2011 she was doing things the way she always had, but not getting the same results.

The only way to succeed was to change by unlearning.

Doing this requires courage, humility, and getting out of your comfort zone. Trying new strategies might feel risky, but it’s necessary in the fast-paced world we live in. What worked just last year might not work today. You have to be hungry for new knowledge at all times because of it’s short expiration date.

If you’re having a hard time accepting that it’s time for a change, just consider that some of the worlds best companies, including Apple and Google, have thrived by adapted with the changing times.

Have you ever attended an aspiring conference only to revert to your old ways once you get back to your life? Why is it so hard to make lasting changes stick? While our world is changing rapidly, our neural pathways take a while to adapt to new circumstances. In other words, your mind defaults to past thinking patterns even when you’re in a different situation. And in most cases, what worked for you before won’t do the trick anymore. You need to adapt to what’s going on right now, not what happened a year ago. This is where unlearning comes in. Start by having the humility to accept that you need to stop doing things just because you’ve “always done it this way.” Then, identify a goal you have that might require some unlearning to achieve. Next, write a vision of the best possible outcome. Consider what success looks like and how you’ll know if you’ve achieved it. Finally, become willing to courageously get outside of your comfort zone and try something new. Your brain will always try…