The Pain of Cognitive Dissonance
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What a pain in the neck is asking a question and getting a dozen conflicting answers! Why is it so difficult to get a straight answer? All you want is a straight answer that you can put into an effective plan of action. It seems like all the advice you get is contradicting and confusing. That mental stress and discomfort is caused by cognitive dissonance and it happens when you have to balance two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. You like peace of mind, balance, and as psychologists call it you want ‘internal consistency’. However, the pain of cognitive dissonance is necessary as growing pains.
Cognitive dissonance is an important catalytic for learning. Learning is not about transmitting knowledge like giving away a box of chocolates. Learning is the process of making meaning through consciously balancing previous knowledge with the new information. It requires reflection and intentionality. Humans are not machines in which an algorithm is inserted and automatically executed without cognitive processing. When conflicting ideas emerge these are sorted out and considered based on reliability, credibility, and delivery. In some cases, when information doesn’t serve to balance dissonance it is just discarded.
You love unwelcome advice, don’t you? How about uninformed advice or critique? People love to give uninformed advice. They tell you how to do something and how to do it right without examining what you are doing and how you are doing it. Your brain generally rejects the information. When you seek advice or critique you are ready to receive and consider the information. This is why instructional design considers (or at least should) of great importance to perform a needs analysis before suggesting a learning solution. When you go to see a doctor you expect a check up before a prescription. It is unreasonable for a mechanic to tell you how much repairs are going to cost before they assess the damages.
Information is consciously or unconsciously delivered to you in a constant basis. When you are consciously seeking information, no matter how willing you are to receive it, cognitive dissonance must occur. The mental stress should be short when information is considered in a timely manner. Psychology suggests self-perception theory as an alternative to cognitive dissonance. Self-perception theory is explained simply a way to see yourself as if you were an outside observer. Is the new information conflicting with your values, ideas, and beliefs? Consider advice and where it comes from. Remember the famous saying, “Is not what you say but how you say it”? Cognitively it matters too. It helps to sort out information. Consider your goals. What needs to change to get there? Is the new information helping you develop a plan of action? Straight answers won’t help if you really want to learn.
The Myth of Hard Work
Among many variables in the equation of success achievement, hard work is one with the greatest mythology. The myth of hard work follows the very existence of human kind to the point that many forget how to enjoy life because they are working all the time. I believe that talent is improved through hard work. I believe in hard work and I believe it pays off but there needs to be an understanding that hard work is not by itself a guarantee of success. It is just a variable of many in the equation.
It is very difficult to accept that those who are lazy will achieve success. Only those who work hard are closer to get it. However, this is also a myth. People pay attention to those who pursue their work and aptitudes and constantly seek to improve, to be productive, to get better. Opposite to talent, I believe hard work is necessary to achieve. That again doesn’t guarantee success. If it does, it also consumes people. I am not saying that working hard is wrong. I am just advocating for a balance in life; one that allows people to enjoy the fruit of their labor and permits them to maintain their relationships. Working a lot is not the same as working hard. There is such thing as working smarter.
Planing and time management help develop a better work flow and to be more productive and efficient. Through experience and practice it is possible to achieve the technique to create in a way that looks and feels easier. It is said that hard work makes it look easy. That is because through many years of giving ourselves to our craft we achieved the skills to be effective with our time and efforts. It allows us to love more what we do and to do more of what we love. Recognized or not it makes us feel better about ourselves when we know we put effort on something and even more when we see the results.