Nicholas Sloan is a Wisconsin-based Network Engineer, a dad of 4, and an extremely motivated chess improver. Usually. But after an incredible run of gaining 500+ rating points in two years, fueled by consistent hard work and a unique study approach, Nick hit a wall. He gave back 150 rating points, and lost his motivation to work hard on chess. That can happen when you are a family man who is working full-time,  studying for multiple hours a day, and creating chess content on top of that. Nick took time away to read some quality chess books, and to recalibrate his chess improvement plans. In our conversation Nick tells me:  Why, after reflection,  he has decided that the lofty goal of earning the National Master title is still worth pursuing.  How a few chess books opened his eyes to the work he still had to do  What he intends to do nextAs a longtime reader of Nick’s blog, I was excited to finally chat with him, and I look forward to following his continued success. Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com! If you sign up for Chessable Pro in order to unlock discounts and additional features, be sure to use the following link:https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=proAnd you can check out their new offerings here:https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/partnershttps://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=12772484Mentioned: Book Recap #14: Seven Deadly Chess Sinshttps://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2021/1/29/book-recap-the-seven-deadly-chess-sinsBook Recap #32: Chess for Zebras https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2021/1/29/book-recap-the-seven-deadly-chess-sinsMentioned: Road to Chess ImprovementChess Improvement: It’s All in the MindsetMentioned: Pump Up Your Rating Mentioned: GM Alexander Goldin Mentioned: CT-Art , Chessking AppMentioned: Episode 173 with NM Philemon Thomas, GM Johan Hellsten’s Mastering Chess Strategyhttps://linktr.ee/HighgroundChessIf you would like to join the Perpetual Chess Patreon community, you can do so here:https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchessCheck out special offers for free trials and/or discounts from our partner websites including Chessmood, ChessDojo, and Chess.com via the link below:Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices