Feedback and Novelty
We're creatures of habit, pattern-making machines. We crave novelty and often (well, at least I do) overindulging in social media, videos, TV, eating, drinking, etcetera, just to get that dopamine rush.
But feedback — like in the form of an evaluation of a speech your developing, or a valid critique from you boss — is almost always a novel experience as well, right?
Fruitful feedback is a form of productive novelty.
If you're looking to be a better speaker or even build better habits, embrace going out and finding people to provide feedback to you about what you're working on. Your brain will be ignited by all of the new ideas and observations that you'll get out of it. There's a nice double-whammy with feedback — you can give it as well as receive it. The act of watching and listening, with rapt attention, is in itself fairly novel for most modern Westernized folks. Observing and thinking about how you'll respond; that generates novelty as well.
You'll grow, they'll grow, everyone will grow. That's why I think feedback is a form of productive novelty.
Links:
- Feedback, but in terms of complex electrical and mechanical systems: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedback