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yeetthefleets t1_iz4c116 wrote

That third one really isn't indicative of progress.

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Crow85 t1_iz4tr89 wrote

It looks like it was made by someone on r/wallstreetbets while on phase 5 of bottom line and trying to convince their spouse of why they should let them gamble some more....

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Bikouchu t1_iz5oir4 wrote

Well chicken tendies don't come without risk.

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[deleted] t1_iz4umyc wrote

was gonna say it looks like relapse if anything but given the nature of some things like the water cycle where "progress" is reset so to speak. idk

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spicygummi t1_iz7eilz wrote

Definitely could be, depending on what the progress was related to. I saw it as maybe not giving up after having setbacks.

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Krzych123 t1_iz4j3g9 wrote

I think the third is still progress though, we’re not always able to give 100% each day and at times we fail, but as long as we get back up and still work towards our goals it can be considered progress, that’s the way I see it at least

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Matthew_Vere t1_iz73893 wrote

My thinking too. Our productivity may be up or down on any given day, but across the week we’re still making progress.

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bautron t1_iz76760 wrote

Thats the whole ponbt of the post. That went over original commenters head.

That it can be shitty and feel like a loss, but still way ahead of where you started.

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Matthew_Vere t1_iz773at wrote

Yeah, I think some people make the mistake of believing progress to be linear. When it’s actually a zigzag back and forth, with an upward trend.

It's like if you weigh yourself daily, some days you’ve lost, some you’ve gained, but over a month the trend is downward (if the goal is weight loss).

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Military_Reject t1_izgyxlw wrote

Life happens. Some days your "put food on the table/ gas in the tank" job may interfere with your CAREER. Some days your relatives may interfere with social network and who you want to ultimately be.

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spicygummi t1_iz7erio wrote

Setbacks happen, too and all too often. A good part of what makes progress on things usually so challenging. It's not as often a consistent and smooth progress all the way until the end. If there even ever is an "end", so to speak.

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watermelonkiwi t1_iz7wslx wrote

Not really. The third one is only progress if they’re able to maintain that position for more than one still. Since they fell so fast last time, getting very full again for them just means they could fall fast again. It’s not really progress until that pattern’s not just repeated.

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Which-Eye9898 t1_iz4dz0o wrote

I think the 3rd can be viewed as we make different amount of progress on different days.

If there is no water, then no progress.

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ackarthur t1_iz4jn6j wrote

Very clearly not what the water indicates though, you don't suddenly start progressing quicker and quicker in the first one.

Commenter above was right, the third option here means nothing, the very next ball may be completely empty, we don't know that.
If they wanted to make a point about ups and downs at least show the average is going up. Having higher ups and lower downs means nothing.

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ThrowAway578924 t1_iz4wy0i wrote

I agree. 1st and 2nd are progressive, 3rd is just inconsistent / random.

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wenasi t1_iz5gvo8 wrote

It's very clearly a consistent reverse sawtooth wave

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JovialJayou1 t1_iz69ku5 wrote

If I’m an all star basketball player and I break my leg during a game, I’m likely going to look like the 3rd frame of progress while I work through my injury to get back to where I was. This is absolutely how progress and life in general works.

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ackarthur t1_iz6a9yv wrote

Absolutely not. After breaking your leg you will be at rockbottom and slowly build up again like frame 1 or 2, not get worse and worse and suddenly pop back up to be better than ever before.

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JovialJayou1 t1_iz6ap2k wrote

Yeah because rock bottom is directly where you go after a set back, it’s never a gradual process. People just go from working 40 hours a week to homeless and injecting fentanyl the next day.

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ackarthur t1_iz6be7h wrote

When you break your leg you're not slightly injured and then get worse over time. I was using your example and showing how it was inaccurate. Your new example about losing your job etc is completely different.

That said, also in that case the climb up is not sudden like frame 3 suggests. Rehabilitation is a long grueling process, not something that happens overnight. You can provide whatever example you like, but progress never takes on the form of frame 3. Only in extremely, extremely specific examples it could happen, and those are absolutely an exception rather than the norm.

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JovialJayou1 t1_iz6gqgy wrote

> Only in extremely, extremely specific examples it could happen, and those are absolutely an exception rather than the norm.

Thanks for saving me the trouble of proving my point.

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CharcoalGurl t1_iz64uvo wrote

I think it would if they had a longer scale version of the three.

Like I imaging 3 as "Dain, I fucked up and stopped going to the gym for a week." And then picking up where you last left off.

Basically accepting shit happens and trying to get back at it again.

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daiwilly t1_iz5ub7n wrote

yes it is! Don't forget many people have to cope with other shit as well as their main focus. Often this means periods when rust sets in. It doesn't mean the person concerned has stopped thinking about their journey, and often surprising improvements can be obtained. I am a teacher of young people and would definitely view 3 as progress...imagine the middle sections are when a pet dies!

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IBJON t1_iz5kubv wrote

The last circle is filled more than the first. I'd say that's progress

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Pie_am_Error t1_iz6m2u1 wrote

It's funny because that's the one I relate to the most. Career wise, I regressed and am now working my way into a new field... Honestly I feel like a failure at the moment, but I have to believe that I am progressing...even if it isn't in a typical fashion.

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skwacky t1_iz81fey wrote

I think they were trying to convey something more like this

The mastery curve

Which is to demonstrate that long-term progress will have periods of short-term, negative progress. But nothing as sporadic as this image shows.

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the_other_irrevenant t1_iz8d4bg wrote

The end state is far higher than the starting state, so I think it's reasonable to consider it progress. There's just been some fluctuation getting there.

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anotherusername23 t1_iz6q6qk wrote

Totally is. They are much further ahead from where they started. Journeys have lots of ups and downs.

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ThroawayPartyer t1_iz6yhc0 wrote

I'm really feeling the third one right now... I've been cycling between periods of immense productivity to doing nothing all day. But nevertheless I am making progress!

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Aktionjackson t1_iz78mbz wrote

Sure it is. It isn’t “steady” progress but the cup has more water in it on the last day than on the first. That is still progress.

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three-sense t1_iz72mlb wrote

At least it’s a good representation of my investment portfolio

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kneel23 t1_iz7a53q wrote

lol looks more a graph of my attempts to ween off suboxone

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honestlawyer t1_iz82oo3 wrote

LOL. I’m glad I’m not the only person who feels this way.

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pete84 t1_iz8a9pc wrote

Third one is how my weight fluctuates. Not all progress is great .

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Nikifuj908 t1_iz8fvn4 wrote

Clearly someone never grasped the idea of path independence.

The water at the end is higher than the water at the beginning. So when you look at the whole picture, it's progress. Doesn't matter what happened in the middle.

For math nerds, f(6) > f(1) is all that matters here. Not f(2), f(3), or anything else between the start and end.

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eduardotbacon39 t1_iz8ks4k wrote

Progress could be understood as change, and sometimes you need to take a step backwards to take two steps forward.

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gsj677 t1_iz8tckh wrote

Won jackpot and waste all the money and won again

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Military_Reject t1_izgy11o wrote

Well, I think it is saying that we all have setbacks; and just because you have to start over doesn't mean that you should give up.

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