Elizabeth Tait TC Ch.5 Summary

Chapter Summary - The power of the mind is pretty unbelievable.  So is the power of an idea.  So the book thus far has said that deep practice leads to expertise.  But how do we get to deep practice?  The answer is ignition.  Ignition (or motivation) comes in the form of ideas that shape our views of ourselves.  The author cites such ideas as, "that is who I want to be," "I am a musician," "I want to be like them," those people over there are doing something terribly worthwhile," and so on.  If people, especially moldable children and teenagers, get a highly emotional idea such as these planted in their brain, deep practice comes naturally, and expertise follows.  These emotional ignitions come in a two different categories: desire for safety and a desire for belonging.  For example, an orphan's mind is planted with the idea "you are not safe," leading them to practice deeply and desperately for their goals.  Another example is the lottery at PS 233 for violins.  This lottery planted the idea in the children's brain, "getting a violin will make me part of an exclusive group," motivating them to work harder to stay in that group.  These emotional ignitions give us the fire to stick with the somewhat boring process of deep practice.
Key Concept - A highly emotional motivation (ignition) is the catalyst for deep practice.  This has very little to do with our genes, and a lot to do with our life circumstances. 
Key Terms:
ignition
safety
future belonging
primal cues
energy
unconscious
Making Connections
The author describes children who had a long ago ignition for their passion as very passive about their motivation.  They don't even remember why they like it, they just always have.  I connect with that feeling.  I don't really know why I love what I do, but I can't remember a time when I didn't.  I think I was lucky to have a lot of ignitions of future belonging as a child in music programs.  However, I notice that sometimes, when I feel that I really belong in a friend group in the music department, some of my practice motivation goes away.  Perhaps because I have achieved a part of my desire for future belonging.  Now.....how do I fix that?