Why Is It So Difficult to Cross The Plateau of Latent Potential?

All big things come from small beginnings. You plant a small seed today. And in a couple of years, you have a huge tree. Though it seems simple. The gap between doing and getting feels intolerable. We know that good things take time. But exactly this delay keeps us away from having good things.

That’s a short overview of the Plateau of Latent Potential.

We think that our progress should be linear. Always up. Always advancing. But the reality is quite different.

We invest a huge deal of money and time to create a project. For a couple of years, there is seemingly zero progress. It’s like you are throwing money in an ever-expanding dent. At a certain point. And only under the condition that you: Persist long enough; Stay disciplined; You have all of that money to throw; You happen to successfully battle the inner doubt, the impostor syndrome, and the frustration of the lack of feedback. You reach a point of breakthrough. A major change.

You are now successful.

People around you are labeling you an overnight success but as much as you try to persuade them that it took you years to reach this current condition. They don’t listen. They romanticize the idea that you transitioned from no one to someone in just a day.

The truth about success – of any kind. Is that it takes time. It takes time to progress. To patiently do the boring fundamentals so you can reach a black belt in the field you want to be recognized for.

As Joshua Medcalf brilliantly mentioned in his small book, Chop Wood Carry Water:

“Everyone wants to build the next Apple or Facebook, nobody wants to sell matches door to door. Everyone wants to become a samurai warrior, but few are willing to faithfully chop wood, carry water.” Joshua Medcalf

This is where the term we’re going to discuss today enters: the Plateau of Latent Potential.

We’ll examine what is the Plateau of Latent Potential. Why is it so damn difficult to cross the plate of latent potential? And, finally, how we can successfully cross it without drawing in self-doubt.

What Is The Plateau of Latent Potential?

Coined by the best-selling author of the ultimate book on habits – Atomic Habits. The Plateau of Latent Potential is a term explaining that a habit or an activity needs to be practiced long enough to break through a certain threshold. This threshold, when crossed. Leads to a place of ultimate awe. Plainly, the results you hoped for finally become a reality.

Depending on the activity. The threshold is different.

For instance, you might need 10 blows to break a big rock but 38 blows to break a huge rock.