Before we discuss how to become great, let's define what it means to be great. Greatness is that heightened sense, feeling and state of superiority that allows us to believe our actions, talents and abilities are better than those of most others. There are many books and videos on the market promising to teach us how to unlock all of the the hidden secrets of such qualities but, at the end of the day, achieving greatness boils down to one's ability to stay focused and committed to personal growth and development. Following the three steps below may help you to achieve greatness and a lifetime of fulfillment:
Step away from Goals - Having been in corporate America for 17 years and always working to complete my next project, step away from goals pains me to say. In the business world, possessing the ability to drive results is a valuable skill and developing SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) goals is good practice. But my aim here is to think beyond the next task and to explore what it means to fully commit to greatness.
As a society we are all too fixated on establishing goals and determining the shortest way to complete them. Like the woman who aspires to lose 10 pounds in two days and goes on a crash diet to achieve it. Forty eight hours later her face and waist appear thinner, but a few weeks later and she's heavier than before she started. She is not alone, many share a similar mindset; which is probably why 70% of our population is dangerously unhealthy and most New Year's Resolutions fail. This crash dieter would have been better suited to commit herself to eating better foods and living a healthier lifestyle with no weight-loss goal in mind.
Not only can the goals we set be unattainable and non-sustainable, it can also keep us oblivious to the consequences and holistic costs of the achievement ... Think of the top performing sales associates at Enron, who consistently met the company's revenues goals and became the highest commissioned in the country. Beyond the accounting chicaneries and other areas of foul play, setting goals on revenue growth without considering profit drove Enron into the ground.
Another downside to goal setting occurs at the inception when we rely dominantly on our left brain, the linear and analytical side. This could limit us to 50% of our full thinking power and remove success factors like passion, instinct and creativity from the process.
In order to be great, we must take our eyes off of the prize and focus on making what we once considered to be difficult easier. Practice for the sake of practicing, even when we seem to be getting nowhere, is more beneficial than working towards an end-goal. Those in pursuit of greatness never stop honing their skills.
"Think of practice as more than something you do, make it who you are." -George Leonard
Step up to become an Expert - If you were taking a survey on your skills sets, how many would be marked as expert status? Selecting more than one or two items is likely to be the result of naivety, the benchmark against a weak talent pool, or the side-effect of an over-sized ego. It is very common for those with less experience to overvalue themselves. With more expertise comes more awareness of what we could do better; which supports the motto ... the more you know, the more you realize you don't know.
Nobody is an expert of many things, but being an expert in just one can be all it takes to sustain a lucrative and successful career; which is for good reason. The path towards gaining extensive knowledge or abilities in a well-distinguished domain, that goes far beyond those of the ordinary person, is an incredibly challenging one that comes with a long list of credentials and demonstrated history of success.
When expert status is achieved, you are known as a most reliable source where the best in the field will officially rely on your opinion. Once again, this does not mean being a key go to person for Sue, of accounts payable, when she has a question on the general ledger. The type of wisdom, expertise and judgment we're speaking of will enable you to rewrite the book on the subject.
Beware of putting forth the time and effort into becoming an expert in an area that you are not overly enthused or passionate about, as doing so may result in an unfulfilled life.
Leap of Faith - At some point during life's journey, we reach a crossroads that tests and challenges the very nature of what we believe to be true. This is partially due to the fact that many of us are programmed to discredit the intangible, or anything unproven. However, sometimes the greatest steps taken completely defy logic, and are more intuition-based than pragmatic. For example there was no empirical evidence to support the beliefs that fueled Steve Jobs ... that the general public would desire a personal computer, and he would be the best suited to deliver it.
Many who have achieved sensational success had the inner trust and confidence that initiated the leap of faith, and enabled them to conquer resistance and break through all known limits. Without any guarantees or promises, the desire for greatness allowed those of mega-success and stardom to prevail against the risks and fears that hold most others back.
Unfortunately, there are many who have taken a big leap of faith and stumbled. This usually comes from making the bold move without full commitment, or while trying to exercise too much caution. Some will unknowingly revert back towards familiar comfort zones by trying to quantify the efficacy of the step; e.g., setting strict goals around performance, timing, or the ability to monetize the initiative can halt the inertia behind the leap in mid-stride, as if wearing a set of iron shackles. This completely removes the faith piece of the leap; which leads to second-guessing the entire act.
Even the most brightest are guilty of implementing such cautionary practices, and model the possible outcomes of the leap before taking it. To mitigate risk and ensure that your leap of faith is a purposeful one, align it with an area of expertise or deep passion. When you do what you love and love what you do the time and effort put forth is never wasted.
"Successful people tend to be passionate about what they are doing and can therefore persevere. People who are not passionate, will quit…in order to preserve their sanity." -Steve Jobs
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