Learning Vs Fun Curve

I was talking with a friend recently about the business. We began discussing how many times we had been told by leaders in our previous businesses, "just have fun". This got me wondering about when exactly does the fun part begin for most people? I have a theory that could answer this question. I'm not saying I'm right, it's just a possible explanation.

The Learning Curve

When new people start in networking, there are particular skills and specific knowledge they need to acquire to fully grasp the concepts, product information, and company data. Those that are new to the business may also need to learn about the various marketing tools available in the marketplace. Let's call the process of acquiring this knowledge, "the learning curve".

For many people, the word "learn" carries a somewhat negative reaction. While we are learning, we are often insecure and uncomfortable because we haven't yet developed skills under study. Our comfort zone is challenged by concepts unfamiliar to us or by the prospect of taking action is ways foreign to us.



Are we having fun yet?

While we are reading our training material, listening to the recorded presentations, and participating on team calls, we begin to slowly develop our confidence. Our first steps are tentative and perhaps infrequent. Initially, I would not call this process necessarily "fun" but through repetition, it begins to become more enjoyable.

In the (unscientific) graph above, I plotted a line to illustrate the learning curve shown as a blue line. The learning curve is usually steepest for the new person but will eventually taper off to an almost flat line trajectory.
Beneath the learning curve, I have entered the "fun curve" as a green line. This course grows a bit more slowly than the learning curve but will eventually intersect and surpass it. This crossroads is reached at different times for each person. Determining factors may include the quality of the training program, accessibility to an upline mentor, and an individual's commitment and desire to personal growth and success. A person's acceptance of change will allow them to shorten the learning curve and increase the acceleration of the fun curve. By my theory, this would account why it's important to usher people toward a "fast track" of business building. Let's get them to the fun as soon as possible. The faster we can act upon what we are learning, the sooner we experience the results that make fun possible.

*Note: It was suggested that there are more performance indicators to plot on the graph. Such as the "this sucks curve" or the "frustration curve" could be added to this example and would possibly track on the same line as the learning curve but, obviously, below the fun curve. (Unless you're a masochist.)