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Ass-Kicking email – “But I’m not a math person!”

Hey,

I want to share a lesson it took me awhile to learn. Namely, that
we often set ourselves up for failure before we even open a book.

In this email:

1. Ditch the “I’m not a math/languages/artistic person” attitude.
2. I discuss the implementation guide for Deliberate Practice
3. How to get the most from this program.

—

“I’m just not a math person”

I’ve heard this statement many times. I’ve also heard it for
literature, art, sports and just about everything you can name.

You know what, sometimes I’ve even said it myself.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this statement is probably
the most damaging thing you can say to your learning progress.

I know you’re intelligent readers. So I’m not going to tell you that
everyone here can be the next Einstein, LeBron or Picasso.

Yes, genetics play a role for things like math aptitude. Some people
are struck by unfortunate circumstances or conditions like ADHD or
dyslexia. I certainly don’t want to imply that *everyone* can learn
as easily every subject.

However, while the facts suggest that there are varying degrees of
initial talent, that’s not what the above statement is implying. It
is implying that this person, singularly is destined for failure and
can *never* understand the subject they are confronting.

That’s garbage.

A little story I heard recently from Kalid Azad, who runs the
amazing site BetterExplained.com ( http://www.betterexplained.com )
really sums it up.

Kalid argues that when facing difficult mathematical topics like
complex numbers, vector mathematics or calculus, we forget the true
genius inside us.

“Just over 300 years ago, people didn’t think negative numbers could
exist. ‘What is -1 cows?’ they might say.

“Today, your average 6th grader can understand and do math with
negative numbers, but 300 years ago, it would have been a PhD level
area of mathematics research.”

If you think that the best geniuses in mathematics 400 years ago had
roughly the same knowledge and skill as a college undergraduate
might have today, that shakes loose the notion that you need to
be a “math” person to get it.

—

Implementation Guide – Deliberate Practice

So far, most of the implementation guides have been aimed at
conceptual learning. Understanding formulas, remembering facts,
getting the big ideas.

However, that’s only a small part of the picture of what it means
to be a learning success.

In this guide, I begin to explore the art of mastering skills. How
do people waste less time in mastering difficult, skill-based
disciplines.

You can read the guide by going to the CONTENT section and looking
at MONTH 4 guides.

https://scotthyoung.com/members/?page_id=42

—

How to Get the Most From this Program

I’d like to take a chance to answer a few questions stuck on many
people’s minds:

1. How long is the program?

The program isn’t a specific course with a start date and an end
date. Instead, it’s like a gym membership for your mind.

There are over 12 months worth of content in the program, and I’m
always adding new content, guides and emails.

2. What should I expect from the program?

The goal is *1* new tactic implemented per month. Considering I
give two guides per month this means a lot of them you won’t have
time to train. That’s completely fine.

The goal of the guides isn’t to complete *all* of them, but to
select a few that you feel are most relevant, and train them one
at a time.

3. How do I get the most from my time in the program?

First–Have you made a new forum thread about your 30 Day Trial?

https://scotthyoung.com/members/?page_id=10

Second–Have you stuck to your trial, or at least posted about your
progress and difficulties? Myself and the other members can’t offer
advice if we don’t know what you’re doing.

Third–Post your questions and feedback. I’m very active in the
forums, so if you ask a question I’ll probably be able to give a
response. Not sure how to apply a tactic to your subject? Want to
know how to approach your class? Ask!

4. Which tactic should I start on?

If you’ve read The Ultimate Training Guide ( http://bit.ly/defulo )
then you should have a rough idea of where you can start.

The reason the program doesn’t have a specific Guide #1, Guide #2
system, is that everyone comes from different disciplines and levels
of experience. Speed reading may help the liberal arts major but it
might not be as helpful for the computer science student.

However, if you’re absolutely stuck, Weekly/Daily Goals is one of
the most general-purpose guides to start on (CONTENT->MONTH 2)

https://scotthyoung.com/members/?page_id=42