How many times did you work on an idea and didn’t finish it? That happened many times to me… Wasn’t I worthy of my ideas/dreams/projects or was that just another phase I didn’t manage to pass?
I found a very motivating article in my inbox earlier today with the topic “Rollercoaster Life Cycle” (RCLC). I got a strong feeling that I should share this with my network in case if there’s someone about to give up her/his great idea. Don’t do this until you read the text below, and think again if you are going to quit or you continue. This should be just a post, but it got so many characters, so I was forced to create an article.
So, what is RCLC? It’s a theory which defines 4 phases of our emotional being while we’re working on an idea.
Phase 1 — Uninformed Optimism: You’re excited and enthusiastic. Similar to riding a rollercoaster at the very beginning.
Phase 2 — Informed Pessimism: You’ve already done the research and taken actions, so you realize that it’s not as simple as it seemed before. Again, similar to a rollercoaster when you reach the top and start feeling fear or even want to get off.
Phase 3 — Crisis of Meaning: This is probably the most crucial phase of the whole cycle. This phase will determine if you Crash & Burn (you fail, go bankrupt, troubles in family, health issues, etc.) or you will move to the next more optimistic stage. Will you start panicking when the cart drops down, or you handle this freezing fear and enjoy your ride.
Phase 4 — Informed Optimism: You are an experienced one now. You won’t be afraid of the next iteration. “Heh, this is just another drop, I’ve done this before, this one shouldn’t be any different”.
Real-life examples
“Why test scripting should be so difficult, why there’s no tool no-technical people can use easily?”, I was thinking last year. So I came up with an idea to develop a Visual Test Scripting tool (UML style scripting). There were my phases:
Phase 1: Wow, that’s an awesome idea. It will help thousands to implement test automation and to improve their products. I’ve already developed a framework which can be adjusted, so the only thing I need is to develop IDE for UML coding.
Phase 2: Ah... I didn’t realize there should be so many adjustments to the existing frameworks. Also, I didn’t see too much enthusiasm from my team members and business users… I got off.
Another example, not related to work. One day I decided to be a Freediving instructor. 😁
Phase 1: That’s a great idea, I’ll be a better diver, it will improve my health, and I can even earn some extra cash by certifying others. It shouldn’t be difficult, just a bit more training.
Phase 2: Oh… I didn’t realize I’ll need to invest so much time and money to be a Freediving instructor. Also, it looks like I’m not in the best shape to get accreditation any soon. I need to sacrifice more time toward my fitness. And, it seems that I won’t make any money as an instructor unless I change my career. That’s still ok, at least it will make me more fit, and I can help my family and friends to enjoy being in the water.
Phase 3: The crisis. I was fully loaded with work and my daily trainings (2–3 sessions per day), so the family had seen me only a few hours per week. You can imagine their frustration when I announced that I was going to Bali for my accreditation instead of spending the deserved leave together. That was a 2 weeks freediving training camp where you had to pass all the requirements and the final exam. My body was exhausted and worked close to its limits. Carrying all this physical and mental stress, my immune system dropped, so I often got infected, and all my old traumas popped up. Most of the students performed much better in some disciplines, and that contributed towards the depression. Honestly, most often thought I got those days “Why am I doing this? Why should I struggle so much? I wanna quit!” At the end of the first week, I got a bad infection in my ears and high fewer. I remember that night when I gave up… I was sitting on my bed, packing my stuff and thinking “how I’m going to tell my family that I failed.” That was an awful feeling; I hadn’t experienced before. The dark cloud was getting bigger, but at one moment, I felt relief! I said to myself “Hold on! You don’t have to leave! Yes, you cannot dive, but you still can learn! Attend all the classes, read everything and more, ask every possible question! At least you will be a freediving professor :) the world needs these people as well. If the ears get better soon, focus on your goals, don’t compete with others, they got different stories!”
Phase 4: I was close to Crash & Burn, but managed to move to Informed Optimism stage. In 3 days, my ears got better, and I started passing my requirements. And guess what? I did more than I was expecting! Today, I know how I’m going to handle the next crisis.
Can you avoid Rollercoaster Life Cycle?
It looks like the answer is No, but being aware of this phenomenon will help you handle the crisis more effectively and less damaging. With such knowledge, my stories would be more optimistic, for sure. 😊
Here’s the link to Tim’s article, where he gives some suggestions on how to handle different stages:
Next time you want to give up trying to identify the phase and follow Tim’s recommendations. Don’t push yourself too hard. Ask questions such as “why am I in this situation? what has gone wrong and how to fix it? who can I ask for advice/support? what is my next step?” etc. and keep acting without overwhelming. The answers will pop up, and even if the best solution is to “shut down” it will be well-considered and not an emotional one.
And remember: The darkest hour is just before dawn.
Good luck!
