"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. ~Thomas Jefferson"
It's always surprising to me what can be accomplished with a bit of effort, a good attitude and some good ol'fashioned thinking. Tiger Woods, Malcolm Gladwell, Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Jesus etc... The subject of their expertise isn't important but I think we can all agree they are/were accomplished. Where do you want to be known as 'accomplished' or 'expert' or 'best'. Best Husband. Best Wife. Best Parent. Expert Pianist. Expert Cook. Accomplished Salesman/woman. Accomplished CFO. Life Saver. World Changer. These titles sound great and can be inspiring but how are you applying effort to achieve such status? A better question might be - Are you applying any effort at all?
No man, woman or child has ever achieved greatness or an 'expert' status without applying a great deal of effort or as Mr. Jefferson said working harder. Keep in mind that work isn't just 'hours' of practice it's more.
Take a second to write down (yes - actually write/type it so you can see it) a list of subjects or people you love in life. Here's a short list of mine:
My wife whose aliases include 'bride', 'beautiful' and 'amazing'
My kids - all three, collectively and as individuals
My work - I sell software to executives leading F1000 companies and it's very, VERY challenging.
God - All three of em'
Fitness - Not the workout, but the feeling afterwards and of course the results
Learning something new then figuring out how to apply it, and then actually applying it.
The list could go on. How's your shaping up? Take a step back and look at the list and ask yourself "when was the last time I really applied myself (put forth effort) into just one of these things. By applied I don't mean 'had a talk with' or that you 'did what was expected of you' or read 'a', as in one book on the subject. I mean when have you really STOPPED and put some THOUGHT into the subject and then APPLIED those thoughts and tested the ideas by taking action? Have you? Once? Twice? Ever?
To some, the simple idea of this is making you tired. Others might be making excuses as to why they 'cant' put more effort (thought and actual application of thoughts) into something: "I work so hard all day. When I get home, I just want to unwind…" or maybe it's just making you mad.
Be encouraged to consider even one item on your list. Think about it for ten minutes (use a clock, it'll feel like an eternity but it'll be worth it). Write down the ways you can apply effort on the subject you've selected, for instance: read a book, write about it, pray, research it, ask questions of others about it in forums, blogs, Twitter, Facebook - whatever… But the key is to not stop when you get tired. Keep going! Ask yourself questions about the subject and your ideas like "why do I think that? What formed my opinion? Is that 'true' (as in factual)?
The biggest temptation in all of this will be to 'quit'. I sometimes wonder if President George W. Bush gave up somewhere amidst his two terms - FYI, he's the only one who truly knows the answer to that question. I wonder if President Obama will give up when the pressures increase beyond any he's every known. I hope not. What if mom's quit? Statistics certainly show that dads have and that's gone just wonderfully for us......... Again, it takes effort to keep going. It takes no effort to quit.
Growing backwards or growing forwards, there is no 'neutral'…
