I’ve always been a big believer in the power of immersion especially when it comes to learning or installing new habits. Yet it wasn’t until this summer that I learned how powerful immersion can be.
This summer, at the age of 18, I received my drivers license in the United States, two years later than a typical American teen. Because I finished high school in Shanghai, I had driven maybe 5 times prior, all of which when I had no formal driving education. Needless to say I wasn’t the best driver in the world.
Well, it just so happens that this summer I worked a job in which I had to commute 30 minutes each way on a busy highway. Now for someone who has been driving several years, this may or may not be a big deal. But for someone who had literally zero driving experience aside from the 30 minute driving test, it was slightly intimidating.
I remember leaving my Grandpa’s house the first day of work thinking:
“Shit I’m scared.”
The particularly heavy rainstorm passing by didn’t seem to calm my nerves either.
Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic, but the first few times I drove, I was quite frightened to say the least. I found it humorous that there I was at the age of 18 scared to be driving, while kids 2 or 3 years younger, were passing by without so much as a fear in the world.
The first day returning from work I missed the exit to my Grandpa’s house and spent nearly an hour trying to find my way. The second day I cut several people off out of the fear that I’d miss my exit 5 miles away. On the third day the amount of people I ticked off with my slow driving was cut in half. And at the end of the week I remained alive. Success!
Because I had no other way to get to work I had to drive. There was no choice. This forced me to make the most of the situation. Preferably I would have worked my way up to driving on the highway or taken smaller trips that were 10-15 minutes in length. Instead I just jumped right in.
Funny what happens when you give yourself no other options.
Learning to drive at such an accelerated clip, was a powerful reminder of how quickly adjust if we are forced to. When you’re fully immersed you’re not worried about what’s down the road, you’re simply focused on the task at hand.
Within a week of driving an hour a day, it wasn’t long before I began getting the hang of it. It also wasn’t long before I began driving a little too quickly 
My point is, with every new adventure or endeavor comes a little bit of fear, a little bit of hesitation. Whether you’re moving to a new city, or starting a new job, there’s always the fear of whether or not you’ll be OK. Instead of worrying on whether or not life will work out, focus on doing the best you can with what you have. Immerse yourself and more often than not good things will result.
Another Story of Immersion.. or not so much
While my story of driving was a success, I haven’t always much luck in other endeavors, especially ones that involve language.
While living in China, I had every opportunity to add the wonderful language of Chinese into my arsenal of communication. Problem was, at the time, I could careless about learning a new language. No disrespect to the language itself, but I just felt my time was better spent else where. Ignorant or not, I would have much rather been reading a good business book, or out clubbing with my friends.
A confession: I am the king of half assing. Especially in doing tasks I don’t enjoy. Ask anyone I know, and they would tell you I could take an easy task and double the amount of work in an instant.
Looking back, I realize I wasted a wonderful opportunity, but in hindsight it taught me a valuable lesson. Opportunities are what you make them.
Consequently, I struggled immensely in my quest to learn Chinese, where my friends seemed to find success with relative ease. While others were studying an hour a night, I’d simply procrastinate and guess on the weekly quizzes. Cute Asian tutor? Yes please.
My struggle with Chinese had nothing to do with the difficulty of the language. While it was certainly challenging, my attitude was the culprit. I chose to half ass my learning instead of embrace it. I’m not particularly proud of how I acted, but as I mentioned it proved as a powerful message.
I remember a girl in my Chinese class who took note of my poor study habits and exclaimed, “I spend less time on Chinese than you Bud, and I can speak it 10 times better.” While this girl was admittedly your typical overachiever, she was right in one thing: half assing is harder than just doing the work.
To become great at anything, you must commit fully otherwise you’re spinning your wheels.
It took me a while to realize that when you half ass something you actually end up working harder. Think about it.
Committing Fully
I’m not under the illusion that you can commit fully to everything you do. There’s a certain balance you must hold when taking on projects or developing new habits. You only have so much energy and so much time. Instead of giving a half hearted effort to an array of things you could care less about, spend more time doing what you enjoy.
When you commit yourself 100 percent, you leave yourself only two choices: Succeed or temporarily retreat. This dogma is particularly powerful when making life changes because it leaves you no room to half ass. A half hearted effort kills any possibility of greatness.
Stop wasting your time pussyfooting around. Immerse yourself fully or you may as well stay home in bed.
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hi Bud, It's good to read your blog again, especially your reflection about your Chinese study. Hope everything is going well with you. Good Luck!
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