Mindset: The Plateau of Latent Potential

This mindset helps reminds us of the importance of the habits that we form. It is based on a concept in James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits.

When we form a new habit, we often expect to see results immediately. As you can see from the diagram, we expect over time, the results will increase steadily, in a linear fashion.

In reality, what actually happens, is that with consistency, performing these new habits over time, on a daily, weekly basis, we will gradually start to see results, and in fact, those results will usually increase exponentially.

If you think about when you go to the gym – you don’t see results after one workout. You might feel better, motivated, and eager to get to the next session, but you won’t be seeing abs of steel. In business, this might be to do with selling, marketing, leadership, or organisation.

The gap between what we expect, and the reality, is referred to as ‘the Valley of Disappointment’ by James Clear. In this period of time, it is incredibly important to maintain your vision, remember why you formed these habits, and understand that in time, with consistent effort, the desired results will materialise. This is the period of time when many people will give up, thinking they aren’t getting anywhere. But change takes time, and if you look at this graph, you can see that you are, in fact, simply banking future gains.

If you found this helpful, check out our other Mindset blog articles. We recently wrote about OARBED, the mindset we consider most crucial to running a successful business.