Everyone has the potential to become great, but
actually acting on that potential is no easy task. Raw
talent isn't enough, whether you do or don't have it.
You'll need to plan out each step and put in plenty
of hard work if you want to get really great at
anything in life.
Part One of Two:
Setting the Path;
Do what you love. Becoming great at
anything will require a considerable amount
of hard work, and if you aren't pursuing
something you can get passionate about, your
motivation for continuing will likely fade away
before you can achieve the greatness you seek
☆ No matter what skill you seek to improve,
you will experience hardships, and you will
probably feel discouraged when those
hardships pop up. If your love for your goal
doesn't exceed your level of
discouragement at that time, there's a good
chance you won't muster the motivation to
work past that point.
Set realistic goals. It's easy to get
discouraged when things go wrong.
Mistakes and setbacks are inevitable, but you
can avoid unnecessary troubles by setting goals
that are achievable and otherwise logistically
possible.
☆ Expecting something to be easy is the
worst expectation you can ever hold. When
things are more difficult than you were
planning on, you're more likely to find
yourself frustrated and tempted to quit. To
minimize the frustration you'll feel along the
way, hope for the best but expect the
worst.
3.Stay focused. Focus your time and energy
on one major goal at a time and avoid
getting pulled away by potential distractions.
Devoting yourself to multiple actions will probably
decrease the quality of each one.
☆Some distractions are obvious. For example,
spending time online, watching television, or
playing video games is fine in moderation
since it can help you relax and recharge, but
doing too much of it too often can cause
you to waste time you should be spending
on the pursuit of your goals.
☆ Less obvious distractions include other
goals. You can become great at multiple
things, but you should only focus on one
thing at a time. Trying to pursue too much
at once will limit the amount of time and
practice you can devote to any one thing,
thereby making it more difficult to grow in
any one skill.
4.Build a support system. While it is possible
to achieve greatness without a steady
system of support, you'll find the journey much
easier to continue if you have mentors and
cheerleaders helping you out along the way.
☆A large support group isn't necessarily
better than a small support group made of
dedicated, loyal individuals.
☆ Mentors and coaches can guide you along
the right path. Cheerleaders can support
you as you struggle to reach your goals.
Even rivals can help motivate you to push
through your struggles, but friendly rivals
who can value you as a competitor are
usually better than hostile ones.
5.Release the reins. There will inevitably be
some point at which you will need to accept
that someone else knows better or has more
control over the way things get done. Instead of
fighting that individual, it would be better for you
to learn from how that person approaches the
task.
☆Observing the way someone else does
things can allow you to remove yourself
from the process and take a more objective
look at things. Don't be afraid to confront
beliefs you currently have or consider new
ideas. Your way might still be better when
all is said and done, but even if that ends
up being the case, you will at least be able
to reinforce and strengthen your previous
ideas.
6.Accept change. Most people are actually
okay with the changes they decide to make
for themselves, yet struggle with change that is
forced upon them regardless of their own will. To
get great at anything in life, you'll need to stop
getting upset by unexpected change and start
learning how to adapt to change as it comes.
☆Learning how to adapt is, in itself, a skill
worth becoming great at. Life rarely goes
according to plan, and even if you become
great at the perfect cookie-cutter way of
doing something, you may eventually need
to expand beyond that mold when it no
longer serves your purposes.
