480: Repetition to Mastery
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How do you become a master in something? Inspired by Bruce Lee's philosophy that emphasizes focused practice over quantity, we share how repetitive actions, from the simple task of unlocking a door to the complexities of route planning, not only build familiarity but also pave the way to competency and mastery. We also talk about how deliberate practice, coupled with feedback, fosters a deeper understanding and efficient execution of tasks. We highlight the journey from initial exposure to achieving mastery, emphasizing the importance of patience and continuous improvement. Join us as we discuss transforming routine repetition into profound proficiency and the impact this has on both our personal and professional growth.
Main topics
Learning through repetition
Being intentional
Iterating and challenges
Main takeaway: Mastery comes with intentionality and patience!
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
pet, pet sitter, jamie, learned, proficiency, clients, skill, dog, repetition, tasks, care, mastery, feedback, master, challenges, business, practice, understanding, running, competency
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin
Meghan 00:01
Hi, I'm Meghan.
Collin 00:02
I'm Collin
Meghan 00:03
and we are the hosts of pet sitter confessional. Thank you for joining us today. We also want to thank our sponsors, pet sitters associates and our amazing Patreon supporters. Our Patreon peeps are those who have found value in the show who enjoy listening and want to keep it going. So if that is you, as well, you can go to petsitter confessional.com/support, to see all of the ways that you can help us out. We were talking about the training of our staff one day, and it got us thinking about the number of times that we do an individual task, you can pick anything is it you know, unlocking a door or putting on a harness scrubbing a bowl route planning, we were trying to develop this sequence of training, and how repetition really gets you familiar with things. Familiarity breeds competency. Competency breeds proficiency, with intention, that's important with intention and proficiency leads to mastery. And it reminded us of this quote by Bruce Lee, I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times that proficiency that getting better at one thing, versus the the jack of all trades type of mentality. So we want to walk through how these pieces fit together and what it takes to move from one to the next. And then we'll end with a story to put it all together and to apply it to pet sitting and dog walking specifically
Collin 01:26
our entire life and running a business as a progressive journey from the initial exposure to a skill or concept towards ultimately mastering it. And it does start with repetition, which is a fundamental way of learning. Think back to when you were in school? How many practice problems did you do in math, I had to do all of them. And then some, how many times did you practice throwing a three pointer or running the basis to repetition actually strengthens neural connections, there's this phrase that cells that fire together wire together. Over time, this leads to faster and more efficient signaling transmission across those pathways, which actually facilitates easier recall and an execution of that learned skill or information that we need. There's also this dual coding theory, that's a little bit more reason. This actually proposes that information can be stored in both verbal and visual forms. By going through the process of repetition, this involves engaging with the material in different formats, either that's reading, discussion, even teaching others, this can enhance understanding and recall by creating not just strong single pathways, but actually multiple pathways that retrieve that same information even
Meghan 02:36
faster. And that makes total sense, because just because you read something one time or even a few times doesn't mean that you've actually mastered that skill, or you know exactly what it means. It really is when you go and teach somebody else, that same thing, that it really starts to sink in for yourself for the teacher. And
Collin 02:54
as you become more familiar with it, your competency in that area of what you're trying to do this grows, meaning that you can perform those tasks a lot more accurately, with greater understanding and with way less errors.
Meghan 03:06
So for instance, Colin is usually the one who does the training for our employees. He has done this for many years now and knows exactly what to say and how to say it and when to say it and basically has a memorized script in his head of on the first visit, we talked about this. And the next visit, we talked about this. And I really have never done that. So for me to come in and do that it would take a lot longer of a process for to explain to someone. This is why we do this. And this is why we do this versus Colin who has really mastered that because he's done it so many times over.
Collin 03:38
So to move from familiarity to competency, we have to have that deliberate practice that Megan talked about that I was doing as I was training people of its this is required. This means engaging in focused goal oriented practice sessions with the actual intention of improving a specific skill for performance. It's not just I need to do something 1000 times its needs, I need to do something 1000 times and I need to work on getting better at it each time. It's like whenever our daughter wants us to time her as she runs around our house. And then she finds out the time that she wants to try and run again so that she can beat that time. And that's part of this is getting that feedback of knowing that time that it takes for her to run around that house is utterly crucial at this stage as it helps us identify areas of improvement where we are weak, where we need that help so that we can solidify those correct techniques, our behaviors and their understanding of what's going on.
Meghan 04:32
And with that repetition, you become more confident in your abilities, which makes you want to do new way try new ways to solve the problem even faster, take on more difficult things. Maybe instead of running around the house, she'll try skipping around the house and see if that produces a different result or a faster result. You begin to apply what you learned in one scenario to other slightly different scenarios with greater ease. Now, obviously not every dog is going to be the same or every Cat will react in the same way. But by practicing these responses and tactics, you begin to know what to try in certain scenarios and what it typically works because while not every dog is going to respond the same, you typically know that food motivated dogs will respond to treats or cheese or something like that. It's not merely about doing something over and over. But doing so in a mindful, structured and reflective manner that really promotes that deep learning and that skill acquisition, we say all the time that when when somebody leaves our company, they have this institutional knowledge that leaves with them. And so to try to capture that as much as possible, to further our company for the future, it is helpful.
Collin 05:42
Over time competency evolves into proficiency where you not only have a deep understanding of a skill or knowledge in a particular area, but you can also perform tasks with an extreme high level of expertise and efficiency. Proficiency is characterized by a deep understanding and effective skill execution within whatever particular you choose. Someone who is proficient can perform tasks with high competence, often, completely, effortlessly, they don't feel like they're even trying to do these. And they can solve complex problems within whatever they're trying to do. It applies not just knowledge here, but an actual ability to apply that knowledge creatively and effectively across various situations. And it's attained through a cycle of performing receiving feedback, reflecting on that feedback and adjusting your practice accordingly. Feedback can come from either a self assessment, mentors, people shadowing you taking tests, getting measurable results in that way. But here, the critical part is that reflection of integrating that feedback into what you're doing, and making those conscious adjustments to improve over time, this stage can actually be accelerated when we have to face or overcome challenges. We talk a lot about how challenges create growth. And the reason here is that the same thing that we were doing all of a sudden stops working, and now we have to iterate, we have to change, we have to pivot. And we have to be creative about something, we have to use our skills and knowledge and what we're developing here, this proficiency, we have to use that to change something to overcome this. So by stepping outside of our comfort zone, we're tackling more complex, unfamiliar problems. We're actually stretching our abilities in that moment, and discovering new strategies, insights about ourselves, and about actually what's required to happen. And we have to be patient through all of this proficiency is not achieved overnight, but actually through continuous engagement with all of the material with all the skills, all the things that you're trying to do, and allowing for a gradual accumulation of that knowledge.
Meghan 07:43
But we don't want to just be proficient, we want to master it, we want to say I am the best, I am the expert at this that helps in our marketing messages for our business. Mastery goes beyond proficiency. It really embodies the highest level of skill and understanding, yes, you are the best, you can say that with confidence. The mastery involves a comprehensive insight into a discipline allowing for the creation of new knowledge or new techniques. And really the ability to innovate within the field. No other dog walker or pet sitter in your city is doing the same thing as you because you have mastered it. It's a master is not just a practitioner, but it's often the leader or the Pioneer or pushing the boundaries of what is known or what can be achieved. A couple of years ago, we had started offering adventure hikes in our second service area. Nobody else was doing that at the time. So we could say, hey, we have done this before we know exactly what we're doing. And this is a new innovative thing that we are experts at mastery involves not just the application, but the creation of things, it could mean developing new techniques or theories or ways of getting the cat to be more friendly or the dog to stop being less fearful around you. Masters recognize that learning never stops. They remain open to new information, new perspectives and ultimately challenges that they can overcome. But it can help deepen the challenges deepen and expand their understanding that mastery really involves a commitment to lifelong learning and curiosity. And that's what we're all here for, is to continue to innovate the petsitting industry to see how we can excite our clients in new in different ways. The industry has been around for 30 years, and people expect one thing but how do we excite them? How do we put more spice into what we do? Something that's already been mastered is pet business insurance. Our friends at pet sitters associates are here for you. for over 20 years they've provided 1000s of members with quality pet care insurance because you work in the pet care industry. You can take your career to the next level with flexible coverage options, client connections and complete freedom in running your business. Learn why pet sitters Associates is the perfect fit for you and get a free quote at petsfit llc.com. You can get a discount when you join by clicking membership petsitter confessional and use the discount code confessional when you go to checkout. Check out the benefits of membership and insurance once again at Pet set llc.com.
Collin 10:02
So what does this mean for us? How does this actually play out in the life of a dog walker or pet sitter? Well, we're going to put together here a story for for you. And you can see how this progression actually works because it sounds really high in theoretical here. But the main takeaway from all of this is time and intention of action. So let's talk about that initial exposure that we started off the episode with, let's say, our pet sitter here, Jamie, she starts with a passion for animals but has minimal experience in professional pet care. Her journey begins with a basic task, unlocking owners poems, putting harnesses on dogs, various sizes, maintaining cleanliness of pet bowls and living spaces. She quickly realizes that excellence in pet care requires more than affection for animals, it actually demands skill, patience, and a deep understanding of animal behavior. So she's just had a little bit of introduction to this. Now we move into the repetition for familiarity. Initially, she struggled with anxious pets, complex home security systems and nuances of maintaining a comfortable environment for a range of new animals that are being requested for her. through repetition, she becomes more familiar with these tasks. Each dog walk and each pets it becomes an opportunity to practice and refine her approach and the way she approaches us get his cat to her technique and securing a harness on an exciting dog. Jamie learns that consistency is key and begins to notice patterns in pet behavior and owner expectations. With familiarity comes a realization that competency requires more than just doing tasks repeatedly. Jamie starts to engage in deliberate practice setting goals each day setting as improving efficiency and route planning for dog walks to include more green spaces or maybe managing your schedule to accommodate more pets without compromising quality. She seeks feedback from clients asking specific comments on their pets behavior and happiness. She adjusts her methods based on this feedback becoming more adept to handling even more challenging cases. As her reputation grows, so do the challenges. She encounters pets with special needs requiring medication at precise times, or maybe dogs with behavioral issues needing gentle but firm handling. Jamie takes these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow researching extensively and sometimes consulting with veterinarians or behaviorists. Each challenge Concord adds to Jamie's skill set and confidence. She also begins taking online courses and seeking out coaches insight or maybe even attending conferences. Over time, Jamie's consistent effort to improve every aspect of our service from pet care to customer communication leads to a deep understanding of her business, she can handle a wide variety of pets anticipate and mitigate potential problems and tailor her services to meet the unique needs of each client. Our business flourishes not just because of the number of clients, but due to the quality of care provided marked by personalized attention and profound understanding of animal care. Reaching a new level of mastery. Now, Jamie innovates the service by introducing pet enrichment activities during walks and sits significantly improving the pets well being. She also starts a blog sharing her journey and insights into pet care establishing herself as a leader in the community. Jamie begins mentoring others interested in pet care, passing on the lessons learned through years of dedicated practice and continual learning. If you think that story sounds familiar, you should. Everybody is at some stage along that story. Everybody is learning new ways encountering things they've never encountered before. And developing techniques, seeking out instruction and partnering within the community to overcome those challenges. So that they can then in turn, give back to those coming up from behind them. It's a continual process, and it never ends, there will always be another animal that's doing something you've never seen before. There will always be a request from a client that you've never gotten before. But because of your intentionality, and focus, and over time, you've developed those muscles, you've developed a toolset that allows you to take on those new challenges, adapt a little bit from what you've experienced previously, and overcome those with a little bit more ease every single time. The journey of repetition to mastery really is one of intentionality and patience. without either of those, we will never get better in anything that we need to. We can't just expect that unlocking 10,000 doors is going to make us an expert and master at unlocking 10,000 doors. What makes us an expert and master at unlocking that clients door is by trying a little bit different each time until we consistently are able to unlock that tricky door without all the struggles that we had previously. Same thing with pet behavior. Same thing with dealing with clients and customer service. Or maybe it's with social media or blog writing. Every time we try every time we try to get a little bit better. And that's the key. Do we have a goal of getting better? Are we just trying to copy and paste and move on? Because if that's the mindset, we won't actually Improve. But if we want to get better, with a little bit of intention, we will. And ultimately, that's what we all would like to have as Megan's are in office. And we want to be the best at what we do, so that we can provide the absolute best care for our clients and their pets.
Meghan 15:17
An important aspect of this is not just learning about it, but then implementing it and doing it over and over and over again. Because when you do that, you can not only help yourself and your employees if you have them, but you can go to other pet sitters and dog walkers and say, Hey, this is what I've learned. This is what's helped me maybe it will help you to and if you would like to share your story of, of how you got to where you are and the lessons that you've learned, we'd be happy to have you on the podcast because
Collin 15:45
we would like to know how you are working on mastering your skills as a dog walker as a pet sitter as a business owner, what has worked for you, where have you struggled? How has that helped you ultimately overcome and give those amazing services back to your clients or live a better, more balanced life? You can let us know at feedback at petsitter confessional.com. We're at petsitter confessional on Facebook and Instagram, or you can give us a phone call and leave a voicemail at 636-364-8260. We want to thank pet sitters associates for making today's show possible our patreon for supporting us and for you for listening. Thank you so much for taking your most valuable asset, your time and listening to us today.
Meghan 16:26
We'll talk with you next time. Bye
