No, I am not talking about the depth of an ocean.

What I am referring to is learning.

Earlier this year, I wrote about Why Many Smart People Don’t Complete Reading Business Books They Buy. The key concept in the article was that as they progress through a good business book, the commitment required to act based on the advice from the book keeps going up.

Not everyone is willing to make that commitment.

The blog post above resulted in dozens of conversations with friends who had alternate opinions. That made me think some more on the topic.

Now, I think there is an even more fundamental reason why people have an invisible fear of depth when it comes to learning.

They are uncomfortable with who they are becoming with the transformation new learning brings to them.

Think about it…

Going into real depth on any topic will shape and re-shape your thinking.

It will make you question your old beliefs.

It will force you to re-think your world beliefs.

It will make you stop and reflect on your past actions.

In short, it will transform you to someone you are not.

Who you will become at the end of the journey will be a better version of who you are today.

Sure.

But, for that, you have to be willing to let go of the present version of who you are.

You have to be willing to embrace the change.

That’s where the blockage happens.

That’s where the passive resistance kicks in.

There is a dilemma – you want to grow and become better version of you – all while holding on to what’s familiar, your present version.

The courageous option is to face the dilemma head-on, pierce through the fear, go deep and transform yourself.

The convenient option is to succumb to the situation and shy away from going deep.

The choice is yours!