Today, I attended the first of a 4-day seminar about behaviour (analysis, strategies, etc.). To put in a disclaimer, the speaker used the metaphor of driving. That is, learning how to drive, especially with a stick shift/manual car. He said something like:

“When you’re learning how to drive, you will encounter a lot of stalling, rolling backwards, and such. When these things happen, you don’t just throw in the towel and say to your driving instructor, ‘I give up. Your instructions don’t work. The rules and guidelines are no good. There’s no point in learning how to drive!’ Of course, that’s silly. It takes time and practice. And the more you do it, the better you become at it.

It’s the same with putting new behaviour strategies in place. There will be issues and challenges - much like stalling and rolling backwards. The thing is, when you don’t achieve the desired behaviour immediately, it doesn’t mean that the strategies don’t work. Often, you just have to keep honing them until they work.

Yes, it’s not just about the mastery of a skill. It’s also about the fluency.”

Of course, since I’m a driving student (and one who works in the area of human behaviour), I was able to relate on several levels.

That’s why I believe that the same principle applies to many other things in life, not just in driving and behaviour strategies.