Were you a B student? ??

According to science, there's a sweet spot where learning is optimized. It has to do with how much of the assignment you get right vs how many mistakes you make.

Apparently the optimal “error rate” is about 15%. This means perfection is not the best indicator of growth. In fact, if you’re only right about 4 out of 5 times, your brain is learning faster than ever!??

Here’s what I mean…

If tasks are too easy our brains aren’t fully engaged in creating new neural patterns and learning.?

And if they’re too hard, we don’t really know what success feels like.

?? ♂?

The magic happens when we find that 85% range, where we are challenged enough to reach for the next level but still have room to grow.

Psychologist Anders Ericcson coined the term deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is about stepping outside of our comfort zone, taking bold action, and applying what you’ve learned, even if it’s not perfectly executed.

This is why expert performance is not predetermined by genetics but it is the result of deliberate effort.??

People living in the 85% zone all the time.

One of my favorite classes to teach when I used to be a music teacher was beginners.?

I taught 6th grade percussionists how to play the drums, and how to read music. And you could tell who had the better coordination (athletes) and who had a harder time with it (kids who never attended any extra-curricular classes).

I remember there was this one kid who played everything right all the time. And because it was too easy for him, he was bored out of his mind! I failed to challenge him, and he ended up ditching music for something more stimulating.??

There was this other kid who had absolutely zero talent and rhythm.?

It was like trying to teach a fish how to dance.?

No matter how hard I tried, he couldn’t find the beat if his life depended on it.??

Naturally, he didn’t enjoy it because he could never taste the sweet flavor of success.?

He threw in the towel too.

Now, here’s the thing…

Some kids, despite lacking any musical background, had experience in pushing their boundaries and stepping out of their comfort zones in other areas of life. It turned out they were quick learners, picking up things faster than others.?

Those kids were living the 85% rule life since an early age.??

My version of the 85% rule is what I call “The Do Zone”.

3 simple rules that get you moving forward, even if you’re not 100% ready.

100% ready is for suckers anyway.

That’s a recipe for procrastination soup and a one-way ticket to Nowheresville…

Instead, find your 85% ready sweet spot and get your ass movin’!?

Learn and figure out the rest as you go.?

Because there’s no way you read every manual, binge-watched every YouTube tutorial, swallowed every online course, and absorbed every podcast episode about how to ride a bike when you were 8.

You just got to work and figured it out.

Now get to work!??

Let me know in the comments. ??????

I am Factor One for my own success. If you want to know more, go to www.iamfactorone.com