Deep, the word means difficult, close to impossible for one of ordinary subject understanding or knowedge to comprehend. Guru of Gang Starr said this on the matter of a jazz thing:
Thelonious Monk, a melodious hunk. No mistakes were made with the notes he played. His conception was recondite.
Jazz, cooking, algorithmic trading- each of them was a recondite subject, a roll of film in development.
I was certain to serve the fish, but I ate with my eyes. Mastery of anything would take more than habits, and a couple to break. Diligent practice, no, the Way is in training, a strategist once wrote.1 As if the dream collapses soon, I hurry to put words down. Pushing on inspiration alone wasn't the way; finding it in me to walk in the rain, write from the phone- beat the boredom of training, writing and working out each day. I walked in error for a long time- I grew discouraged that passion didn't push me enough. I felt frustrated games didn't arouse me- I blamed myself, then nearly lost my identity...
Potato galettes with smoked salmon for a midafternoon snack, I want to do it to taste. I could quote cats all day and not remember: the knowledge powers the enginge, the mind, to perform incredible feats, manifest dreams into reality. The Animals performed House of the Rising Sun. The sound, the emotion- did they draw on experience or creativity? Both? One could say they have a love for the art, as the band bows for the final note of their track.
Just right...
Clear offers a method to 'hack' motviation. Our peak levels answer to "just manageable difficulty". They call it the "Goldilocks" rule. If a task is too hard, we're sad. I'd seen Overwatch make people sign off faster than on a delivery. Too easy, and we snooze too. Just right, and we like the fight.
I was afraid to learn these new skills- and "analysis paralysis" did the rest. Where do I start? How? I read a bit about the psychology behind it in the Paradox of Choice, learned how to combat it with Atomic Habits. January began the year, slow and cold. Learning thru self-exploration, understanding more and as a result, better understanding myself... I can't fully explain. The feeling rises in you like the sun.
Photography, they call an expensive hobby. Yet, everything costs you something. Film stock, camera lenses and bodies, the list never ends. I could feel the task slipping, the radical notion of a dream collapsing a few times. I ran three minutes shy of the post train last night. I would need not a deeper focus, but an entertaining one. Steve Martin stuck with it over 17 years. Chris Rock still practices in clubs. I picture this, a habit of saving for what's important: framing life.
1. Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Post Summary
- Recondite means deep. I reckon these recondite matters need more recon than learning habits.
- We excel in situations with "just manageable difficulty." This phenomenon's been named the "Goldilocks" rule.
- Making things automatic was the first step, but only diligent improvement could make you a master.