Ben-Coyle-Ch5

 

The fifth chapter of Coyle’s “The Talent Code” is about ignition and primal cues. Primal cues are cues our subconscious takes from the signals in our environment. Primal cues provide “ignition” for motivation that fuels deep practice. Coyle points to a few different primal cues, each coming as a result of environmental signals: the death, at a young age, of a parent can provide the cue “I’m not safe;” seeing an inspirational performance from someone with whom you can identify can provide the cue “I can do it too;” one’s acceptance by random selection into a program can provide the cue “I’m lucky to be here.” In each case, the subconscious message provided by the environmental signal ignites motivation which in turn fuels deep practice, subsequently, builds skill.

I thought this chapter was interesting. It is natural to assume that one needs to be motivated to practice deeply, and it also seems reasonable that motivation can sometimes be ignited by an apparent singular event. However, I tend to think of myself as a motivated person, and yet I can’t seem to think of a singular event from which sprang such an energy-inducing message. I can identify with the message of “If they can do it, so can I,” but I don’t recall a singular moment which could have resulted in that message being born. I may have to think about this some more.

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