Goal setting is crucial for getting what you want,
but most goal setting articles lack that extra oomph to really get you
taking action and achieving your goals faster than you thought possible.
I wrote this article to fill that gap. Not only will you learn how to
set smart goals, you will also learn how to program your unconscious
mind to propel you into action and success.
For a long time, I didn’t set any goals because I thought they were
useless. However, when I became serious about goal setting, I saw
immediate results.
It was as if a switch was flipped inside of me and my unconscious mind suddenly had a target to go after. The feelings of feeling lost and overwhelmed were dramatically decreased. And my feelings of motivation shot through the roof like an out of
control champagne cork. Setting goals always seemed scary to me, because
it meant committing to something I wasn’t sure about.
Whatever your reasons used to be for not setting goals, it’s time to
set them aside and use goals to dramatically increase not only how much
you get done in life, but how fulfilled you feel.
Obviously goals aren’t going to automatically make your life better
or make you rich. It’s up to you to set goals that make you happy and
that are right for you.
Goals help you gain clarity on what you truly want in life. They are a tool to help you move in the right direction–a very powerful tool.
One of the most effective ways to set goals is to utilize the
S.M.A.R.T criteria, and that is what the first five tips in this article
are all about.
The rest of the tips come from my personal experience and the things I’ve learned of how you can enhance your goal setting:
1. Specific
One of the most important things for setting and achieving goals is to set specific goals.
Think about where it should happen, when it should happen, what you
want to accomplish, what you need to get there (if you know), and why you want to achieve the goal.
Most people set vague goals because they want to “stay open,” but we
both know that the people who set vague goals never go anywhere.
If you want to earn a specific amount of money every year doing what
you love, set a specific amount, such as $50,000 a year, or $5,000 a
month.
2. Measurable
Making your goals measurable will help you know when you’re making
progress, when you’re on the right track, and it will motivate you to take action.
The important question you should be asking yourself is: How will I know when I’ve achieved my goal?
How do you know when you’re making progress and how will you know when you’re heading in the right direction?
3. Attainable
Your goal has to be attainable, and you have to believe that you can achieve it.
Now, sometimes you may have beliefs that bring you down. That’s
normal, and these negative beliefs can be eliminated if you wish to do
so.
Set goals that you can attain and that excite you. Boring goals are
not the best motivators if you want to take massive action and change
your life for the better.
4. Realistic
If you set an unrealistic goal, it will discourage you from taking action and even taking the first step.
If you want to run a marathon, an unrealistic goal might be to
prepare for a marathon in two weeks. It’s just not going to happen.
So remember to set realistic goals that are both attainable and that excite you to take action right now.
5. Timely
Setting a deadline will dramatically enhance your focus and
motivation. If you’ve ever worked under the pressure of time, you know
how fast you can produce great quality work.
I use deadlines repeatedly when writing articles. I set a time limit for each article, and I challenge myself to set new records of how fast I can get a first draft done.
I highly recommend you get an egg-timer or whatever you want to use,
and really challenge yourself to do more than you think you can.
You will be surprised at the outcome.
6. Model
Now we’re getting to the really good stuff. The first five tips are
essential to good goal setting, but the tips that follow will catapult
you toward your goals.
One of my favorite ways to reach goals is to find people that have already done what I want to do, learn what they did, and take the same steps they’ve taken.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel, when there is almost always
someone that has already gone before you that you can follow.
This is not to say you should follow them blindly, only that you can
pick what feels right and make much faster progress than if you were learning everything from scratch.
7. Visualization
Visualization has been proven over and over again to not only be
effective in improving performance, but also in changing behaviors and
achieving big goals.
When you imagine your most important goal as already being achieved,
you will feel good and you will be telling your unconscious mind exactly
what you want.
I recommend you visualize for a few minutes early in the morning and
before you go to bed. Imagine your goals as already being accomplished,
and really enjoy the feeling of success that comes from that.
After you’ve seen your goal(s) as already accomplished, try
visualizing your next step. For example, if your goal is to write a
book, visualize sitting down, and writing. Transfer those positive feelings into an action step.
8. Affirm
You’ve probably heard of affirmations. There has been a lot of bad
press about them, but what people think of them doesn’t change the fact
that they remain effective.
However, please don’t force yourself to do them if they don’t feel right. Listen to yourself first, and take what resonates from this article.
For example, if you have a goal of writing 1,000 words every day, your affirmation might be “I easily and consistently write 1,000 words each and every day.”
You then repeat this information to yourself throughout the day. But
don’t just repeat them in your head, remember to see the result, and
feel getting your 1,000 words in every day.
Affirmations do not work for most people because:
- They aren’t used consistently
- They aren’t used properly
- Their doubts take over
- They don’t FEEL them
What I mean by your doubts taking over is that when you say your affirmation, your mind may go “Yeah right, you’re not going to earn that amount of money. You don’t deserve it.”
That instantly destroys the power of your affirmation.
9. Release Doubts
Most people are great at talking negatively to themselves all day long. They are telling themselves that affirmations do not work while using the exact opposite of affirmations.
Here are a few examples of common negative self talk:
- I’m not good enough
- I’ll never amount to anything
- I am not worthy of $100,000 per year
- Why do bad things always happen to me
- Why did he/she do that to me
- Life is not fair
The more you tell yourself that things will happen, the more they will. As you think, so shall you become.
Releasing these doubts can be done in many ways.
10. Believe in Yourself
It’s important that you believe in yourself and in your ability to reach your goals.
Naturally, you can begin to realize that you have already
accomplished many goals in your life. You already have amazing qualities
that make you a genius, even if you may not believe it, yet.
The only person standing between you and success is yourself.
You do not even necessarily have to know how you will accomplish your
goal, much like babies do not have to read books on walking in order to
start walking.
They simply do until they succeed.
11. Take Action
While visualization and affirmations are highly effective in propelling you toward your goals, you also have to take action each and every day.
The more action you take, the faster you will achieve your goals. Just by reading these words, you can become aware of all the steps you can take, right now, to achieve your goals.
You can begin to move toward your dream life. It may seem hard at first, but as you keep going, the fog will clear and you will start to feel better and better.
12. Use Software
Another interesting way to condition your mind positively is to use
subliminal software you can have your affirmations flashing on your
computer screen, or you could even create your own Audio CDs.
There have been countless studies on the subject of subliminals. They
have even been banned from advertising because they’re so effective.
All of the tips in this article are to help you reach your goals. By no means do I recommend you rely on just one.
I am putting it all out there so you can pick and choose. The most
important factors will always be clarity and action. Always remember
that.
13. Meditate
Meditation
is an excellent way of calming your mind, tapping into the unlimited
potential of your unconscious and easily solving any challenge you may
come across.
It can be as simple as sitting down for 5 to 10 minutes and focusing
on your breath. It will not only help you achieve your goals faster, it
will also help you relax and improve your health.
I personally enjoy moving meditation, which is simply the act of
being aware of your body or your breathing while you’re working out,
watching the dishes, or even taking a walk.
14. Brainstorm
A great way to faster achieve your goals is to brainstorm steps you can take today to make even more progress.
You can do this by taking a blank sheet of paper and writing what you want to get the answer to at the top.
For example, before I began writing this goal setting article, I brainstormed all the tips beforehand.
I simply wrote the following at the top: “How to achieve goals
faster,” I then let my unconscious mind do its thing without censoring.
15. Be Open
When setting smart goals, it’s important to stay open-minded, because the way to achieving your goal may be nothing like you have imagined.
If you want to earn $100,000 a year, set that goal and start affirming it and you may suddenly find yourself without a job.
This may at first seem disheartening, but when you really look at it, you realize that you didn’t like that job at all.
And a few weeks later you find another job which you truly enjoy and find that your earning potential is significantly better.
You just never know what the universe will throw at you.
16. Read, Listen and Learn
Setting goals is not about accomplishing things as much as it is about personal growth.
You see, when you set goals that are challenging, you will have to become a better person in order to accomplish those goals.
That is why it’s important that you read, listen and learn about
personal growth and how you can become better in every area of your
life.
If you want to make a million, don’t do it for the money, do it for the person you will have to become.
17. Determination
One of the most common characteristics of people that constantly achieve their goals is that they are determined and relentless.
They don’t give up.
Imagine being relentless in the face of obstacles and challenges. See yourself blasting through the roadblocks and moving boldly to your goals.
You already have that ability in you, you just have to dust it off and start using it.
18. Positive Attitude
Have you noticed that positive people tend to not only get more things done; they also tend to be a lot happier?
Negative people often say they are not negative, merely realistic. I
don’t care what they say, because when you look at the results, you can
clearly see that being positive is better than being negative, no matter
what your life circumstances are.
You can easily make the decision today to become more positive and see things in a new light. The ball is in your hands.
19. Non-Perfection
If you have a goal you’ve been putting off because things aren’t
perfect, take that as a message to get started right away, because circumstances will never be perfect.
If you want to start a fire, you first have to collect wood. Most people want the fire without having to put in wood first.
As you begin to take action toward your goal, you will
become aware of the fact that the steps will magically appear in front
of you as you keep moving forward.
This is what happened to me as I overcame my fears and started moving toward living the life that I truly wanted.
20. Passion
Last, but definitely not least is to follow your passion.
This is something you have probably heard me talk a lot about on this
blog. When you’re passionate about your goals, you will be much more
likely to achieve them.
Always remember that most of your life is spent on the journey so you might as well make it something you truly enjoy doing.
An Extra Tip
Realize that most of the goals you set may not need to be reached in
order for you to reap the benefits. They may just need to be there for
you to have something to aim at.
So stay open, stay positive, and go with the flow of life, because you never know where it will take you.
And Remember
You don’t have to use all the tips in this article. Pick what resonates with you, and apply it in your life.
Knowledge is useless until it is applied, so pick one thing, and use it right now.
It doesn’t have to be big. In fact, I recommend you focus on tiny steps, and see where it takes you.
Experiment, have fun, and enjoy this ride we call life.
Source
We
all go through hard times – it’s called “life.” Some people have more
hard times than others, but eventually, we all experience pain and loss.
It could be the loss of a loved one, a job, a home, or your dignity.
Whatever hard time you are going through, you might have lost sight of
some of the very things that might help you make it through the rough
waters. Here are 10 truths that you may have forgotten during your hard
times:
“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” -William Goldman
1. Pain is part of life and love – it helps you grow.
Sure, we would all love to live a life that is free from pain. We all want to feel good and be happy at all moments. But as you know, this is not possible. But what is possible is having the choice of what you do with the pain. I have seen many people who go through unimaginable pain like losing a child or being diagnosed with a devastating disease who turn their pain into something positive. They teach others and spread light in the world as a result of their pain and sorrow. You can do the same thing, too.“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” -William Goldman
2. Mindset and attitude are half the battle.
Most of success lies in attitude and effort, and not in someone’s intelligence. This shows how important your thoughts are. You can re-frame almost any situation if you try hard enough. Remember this: It’s only a problem if you think it’s a problem.“A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.” -Patricia Neal
3. Sometimes, your biggest fears are just illusions.
Many
times, what we really fear is simply the unknown. We fear that we are
not going to be able to cope with a tragedy that comes our way. Or we
fear that we won’t know which direction to head if we are thrust into an
unfamiliar situation. But as a wise friend once told me, “uncertainty
breeds opportunity.” Embrace the fear and face it anyway.
“FEAR is an acronym in the English language for False Evidence Appearing Real.” -Neale Donald Walsch
4. This “problem” is really a valuable growth opportunity.
You
can grow from any experience if you chose to do so. Or, you can choose
to be a victim and wallow in your disappointment and depression. The
choice is yours. When we are the middle of hard times, it’s easy to
forget this. It’s all about mental strength and attitude. Simply
re-framing the situation will help you learn from it.
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” -Oprah Winfrey
5. You can’t change any situation unless you take some responsibility for it.
It’s
easy to blame others. But it’s not the mature thing to do. Yes, there
ares some times when we are the unfortunate target of another person’s
bad behavior. However, there are a lot of situations in life that you
had a big part of creating. Whether it’s a bad relationship, a rotten
job, or a bad investment, you had some participation in how it turned
out. Look at what you can do differently and then take positive action.
“It
is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the
consequences of dodging our responsibilities.” -Josiah Charles Stamp
6. All we have is NOW – the present.
So
many people live the past. They yearn for their “glory days” or their
youth. And yet other people live in the future. They think, “when I get
that perfect job … or when I meet that perfect romantic partner … or
when I get $10,000 saved up … then I will be happy.” But all you have is
the present moment. Decide to be happy in the NOW because that is really all we ever have.
“Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” -Buddha
7. There is always something to be thankful for.
If
you have a roof over your head, food on your table, and air in your
lungs, you are a lucky person. You don’t have to be a super model or a
millionaire to find something to be thankful for. Believe me, there is
always someone else in the world who has it more difficult that you. So
look at what you do have, not what you don’t have.
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.” -Meister Eckhart
8. Great things don’t happen overnight.
We live in a world where it seems like everyone becomes famous from a reality show or Youtube. But real success takes
time. You have to keep plugging away, day after day. You can’t let
rejection or setbacks stop you from reaching your destiny. Keep on the
journey and you will get there at the right time.
“Patience, persistance, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” -Napoleon Hill
9. You need to validate yourself – don’t rely on other people to do it.
If
you always look to other people to tell you that you are worthy, then
you are going to be a miserable person. Let’s face it – many people are
not kind. So why don’t you start working on your self-talk? Change
negative thoughts into positive ones. Be your own biggest fan. Love
yourself. It’s not conceit, it’s called inner peace.
“I don’t like myself, I’m crazy about myself.” -Mae West
10. You’re not alone.
Maybe
you are going through something that no one can relate to. But even if
you don’t have family or many friends, the internet is a fingertip away
for most people. Go look for message boards or support groups on social
media. There are always people out there somewhere who are wiling to
help and give advice. Go find them if you don’t have support in your
every day life.
“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” -Helen Keller
Hard
times are not fun. But instead of letting yourself sink into a deep
abyss of depression, try to train your brain to re-focus. It does take
mental strength, but you can do it. That’s the best way to grow as a
person.
Source
Start With The Positive
“Leaders start with the positive, always believing the best first.” -Skip Prichard
You’re flipping channels on the television when all of a sudden you
land on a game show. You hear the crowd shouting answers. The person
playing the game is trying to answer the host of the show, hoping to win
big. In the background you can see a gleaming new car.
You don’t intend to watch, but you want to see what happens. The contestant squints, grimaces, and tentatively answers.
Almost instantaneously you hear a loud buzzer going off. The obnoxious sound signals the end of the dream.
Game Over.
Some people seem to wait in the wings as if watching a game show.
Whatever you do, whatever you say, they are sitting in judgment. They
wait for the opportunity to hit the buzzer, to declare you wrong, to
declare “game over.”
Do you know someone like that?
You never hear a word of encouragement. You never hear a positive word. It’s not that it is hard to elicit a positive response; it’s impossible.
But they are quick to point out a misspelling. They are fast hitting
reply and telling you how disappointed they are in something.
I once knew someone who was apt at pointing out what was wrong. He
was in my office, complaining about someone. My advice to him was,
“Assume the positive. Give the person the benefit of the doubt. Ask
some questions. Don’t be so quick to condemn and complain.”
“Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply.” –Stephen Covey
Assume positive intent.
What if it wasn’t an attack, but was a mistake?
What if it wasn’t a mistake, but a miscommunication?
What if it wasn’t a miscommunication, but an oversight?
What if it wasn’t an oversight, but was caused by an undisclosed personal issue?
There are so many times when we need to step back. Instead of complaining, blaming and assuming the worst, pause and reflect.
Someone recently sent me a surprising note accusing me of ignoring
his email. What he didn’t know: I was on an international flight and
did not have access to email for fifteen hours.
“My failures have been errors in judgment, not of intent.” –Ulysses S. Grant
Years ago, I had someone in my office telling me that someone was
sleeping in meetings and was not interested in work. That person didn’t
know that this new father was spending nights at a hospital with his
premature son.
I could give many, many examples. And some where I am the one in the wrong. That’s why I try to start with positive intent.
“See the best in people and watch how they fight to prove you right.” -Skip Prichard
Most people are trying to do a good job.
Most people don’t want to ruin your life, offend you, or cause you problems.
Most people want to succeed and do well.
Assume the positive. Give people the benefit of the doubt. You will find that your relationships, your listening skills, and your stress will all improve as you do.
“Positivity is a boomerang. The more we put it out there, the more it comes back to us.” -Jon Gordon
It’s springtime in my hometown. The tulips bloom. The leaves return. The warm breezes flow.
Reading the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and fascinated not only by the choices but by the common commitment to utter excellence that infiltrates their lives…
They mention famed author Haruki Murakami, whose book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
I truly adore. Murakami is a marathon runner (he started at 33), a
former jazz club owner and self-described loner who took up writing
because he wasn’t a great musician. More importantly, his painstaking
devotion to his craft has allowed him to have an explosive impact on the
world of literature.
They list Harry Potter
star Emma Watson (she auditioned for the first movie at the age of 9), a
gender equality advocate whose “HeForShe” speech before the United
Nations moved me deeply and reminded me that few things matter more than
standing for a cause you’d take a bullet for.
They include Kanye West whose debut album College Dropout is without a doubt one of the greatest Hip Hop works of all-time (Do yourself a favor and listen to the song Last Call
before you ever give up on a dream–you’ll get a sense of the struggles
he had to transcend over many years to become “an overnight sensation”).
Love him or dis-love him, West’s devotion to total craft mastery is
indisputable. And inspirational.
TIME also profiles tech
visionary Elizabeth Holmes, the 31 year old billionaire founder of
Theranos. Henry Kissinger, on hearing her vision for her healthcare
company after she’d just dropped out of Stanford, told her she had only
two prospects: “total failure or vast success.” She clearly committed to
the latter. And at a young age has become a master maker in the
entrepreneurial field.
A discussion of rare-air influencers and epic producers also makes me think of…
–U2. I know they’ve been around for years but these guys are absolutely relentless in their pursuit of perfection. If the result is not amazing, they just don’t mess with it. Just listen to Bono sing Every Breaking Wave
live on YouTube and tears will flow as you witness the pure mastery
born of an adult lifetime of practice, gorgeously expressing itself.
–Jazz legend John
Coltrane. As a sax player in his school band, he was unremarkable (just
like Mozart’s first 10 years of musical compositions showed zero signs
of genius). But after being blown away by a performance of Charlie
Parker, he committed to the monomaniacal focus, study, training and
sacrifice that eventually allowed him to produce sounds that no one had
ever heard before (he practiced the sax so hard the reeds would be
soaked with his blood).
–William Shakespeare. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,
Shakespeare wrote almost 1/10th of the most quoted lines in the English
language and has been said to have introduced nearly 3000 words to it. A
true titan of production.
So what do these A-players
of immense achievement + global impact have in common that you can
consider, to find your ideal approach?
The 4 Mindsets of Genius
#1. Nothing Matters More Than The Work.
Not fame. Not fortune. Not
glory. “Balance” just isn’t the game of most people playing at
legendary performance. Their lives are all about their craft. It’s their
true love, their greatest passion and their central mission. And
because of this, they overcome the impatience, self-doubt, fear of
stumbling and attraction to distraction that causes most of us to give
up prior to genius showing up.
#2. The Process Matters More Than The Masterpiece.
Icons of their fields get
that elite performance takes years of deep training. They see themselves
as apprentices, learning the skill (often at the feet of a master) step
by step, day by day. They commit to their education. They ritualize the
discipline. They understand greatness takes time (Darwin had the
devotion to study barnacles for 8 years as part of forging his
scientific understanding).
#3. The Audacity of Originality Is The Dream.
Great performers go
through a series of phases. They start as beginners (every pro was once
an amateur). In this period, they watch the masters and copy their
moves. With focus, grit and practice they reach the next part: technical
brilliance. Audiences are delighted by their proficiency. But what
lacks is soul and bravery and audacity. As the performer continues, they
reach the final stage. This is where world-class skill meets serious
heart. The performer has the guts to express their own voice. Do their
own thing. Behave in ways no one has ever seen. This is the goal of
every A-Player. To become a phenomenon.
#4. Genius Is an Inner Play.
Here’s what I mean by this
observation: genius is less about natural gifts than internal
character. The titans of sport + science + art + enterprise are not the
smartest nor the most talented (just think of all the super-talented
people who do nothing with their potential). No, the best of the best
are those with the character traits that allow them to stick to
the vision, transcend insecurity, endure the pain of intense practice
and ignore the envious ridicule of their critics.
At this year’s Titan Summit,
my legendary annual event for people ready to rise to best in world in
their work and personal lives, I’m bringing in the top experts on the
planet to help those who get a seat make genius performances a way of
being as well as create lives they adore…
For now, please allow me to offer you these practices to start installing today to fuel your rise:
A. Set
Initiations. All rare-air performers set clear challenges like the
writer who sets a goal to produce a book within 60 days that contains
languaging well-beyond anything she’s ever done. Or the tech star who
creates the app that disrupts an industry. Or the athlete who runs
farther than he’s ever run. Committing to regularly going past your limits, painful as this behavior is, is how you blow past them.
B.
Leverage Solitude. We live in a world afraid of being alone. But masters
get that isolation breeds ideation. We do our best thinking–and
download our genius–away from the world, not within it. When we work
alone in our studio or walk solo in the woods, our brain waves shift
from beta to alpha. Neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine and
anandamide (the brain chemical of bliss) get made. Our pre-frontal
cortex (the part of our brains that do all the thinking–and
self-criticizing) becomes quiet. And we access the staggering brilliance
that lies within each one of us.
C. Renew
Your Assets. For the legendary producer, there are 3 main assets needed
to sustain fantastic results: focus + willpower + energy. If all you do
all day is use these resources without replenishing them, they will
deplete. The wells will empty. You’ll descend from mastery to
mediocrity. Your greatness will decline.
- See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/05/how-great-masters-think/#sthash.WojRMuh8.dpuf
It’s springtime in my hometown. The tulips bloom. The leaves return. The warm breezes flow.
Reading the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and fascinated not only by the choices but by the common commitment to utter excellence that infiltrates their lives…
They mention famed author Haruki Murakami, whose book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
I truly adore. Murakami is a marathon runner (he started at 33), a
former jazz club owner and self-described loner who took up writing
because he wasn’t a great musician. More importantly, his painstaking
devotion to his craft has allowed him to have an explosive impact on the
world of literature.
They list Harry Potter
star Emma Watson (she auditioned for the first movie at the age of 9), a
gender equality advocate whose “HeForShe” speech before the United
Nations moved me deeply and reminded me that few things matter more than
standing for a cause you’d take a bullet for.
They include Kanye West whose debut album College Dropout is without a doubt one of the greatest Hip Hop works of all-time (Do yourself a favor and listen to the song Last Call
before you ever give up on a dream–you’ll get a sense of the struggles
he had to transcend over many years to become “an overnight sensation”).
Love him or dis-love him, West’s devotion to total craft mastery is
indisputable. And inspirational.
TIME also profiles tech
visionary Elizabeth Holmes, the 31 year old billionaire founder of
Theranos. Henry Kissinger, on hearing her vision for her healthcare
company after she’d just dropped out of Stanford, told her she had only
two prospects: “total failure or vast success.” She clearly committed to
the latter. And at a young age has become a master maker in the
entrepreneurial field.
A discussion of rare-air influencers and epic producers also makes me think of…
–U2. I know they’ve been around for years but these guys are absolutely relentless in their pursuit of perfection. If the result is not amazing, they just don’t mess with it. Just listen to Bono sing Every Breaking Wave
live on YouTube and tears will flow as you witness the pure mastery
born of an adult lifetime of practice, gorgeously expressing itself.
–Jazz legend John
Coltrane. As a sax player in his school band, he was unremarkable (just
like Mozart’s first 10 years of musical compositions showed zero signs
of genius). But after being blown away by a performance of Charlie
Parker, he committed to the monomaniacal focus, study, training and
sacrifice that eventually allowed him to produce sounds that no one had
ever heard before (he practiced the sax so hard the reeds would be
soaked with his blood).
–William Shakespeare. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,
Shakespeare wrote almost 1/10th of the most quoted lines in the English
language and has been said to have introduced nearly 3000 words to it. A
true titan of production.
So what do these A-players
of immense achievement + global impact have in common that you can
consider, to find your ideal approach?
The 4 Mindsets of Genius
#1. Nothing Matters More Than The Work.
Not fame. Not fortune. Not
glory. “Balance” just isn’t the game of most people playing at
legendary performance. Their lives are all about their craft. It’s their
true love, their greatest passion and their central mission. And
because of this, they overcome the impatience, self-doubt, fear of
stumbling and attraction to distraction that causes most of us to give
up prior to genius showing up.
#2. The Process Matters More Than The Masterpiece.
Icons of their fields get
that elite performance takes years of deep training. They see themselves
as apprentices, learning the skill (often at the feet of a master) step
by step, day by day. They commit to their education. They ritualize the
discipline. They understand greatness takes time (Darwin had the
devotion to study barnacles for 8 years as part of forging his
scientific understanding).
#3. The Audacity of Originality Is The Dream.
Great performers go
through a series of phases. They start as beginners (every pro was once
an amateur). In this period, they watch the masters and copy their
moves. With focus, grit and practice they reach the next part: technical
brilliance. Audiences are delighted by their proficiency. But what
lacks is soul and bravery and audacity. As the performer continues, they
reach the final stage. This is where world-class skill meets serious
heart. The performer has the guts to express their own voice. Do their
own thing. Behave in ways no one has ever seen. This is the goal of
every A-Player. To become a phenomenon.
#4. Genius Is an Inner Play.
Here’s what I mean by this
observation: genius is less about natural gifts than internal
character. The titans of sport + science + art + enterprise are not the
smartest nor the most talented (just think of all the super-talented
people who do nothing with their potential). No, the best of the best
are those with the character traits that allow them to stick to
the vision, transcend insecurity, endure the pain of intense practice
and ignore the envious ridicule of their critics.
At this year’s Titan Summit,
my legendary annual event for people ready to rise to best in world in
their work and personal lives, I’m bringing in the top experts on the
planet to help those who get a seat make genius performances a way of
being as well as create lives they adore…
For now, please allow me to offer you these practices to start installing today to fuel your rise:
A. Set
Initiations. All rare-air performers set clear challenges like the
writer who sets a goal to produce a book within 60 days that contains
languaging well-beyond anything she’s ever done. Or the tech star who
creates the app that disrupts an industry. Or the athlete who runs
farther than he’s ever run. Committing to regularly going past your limits, painful as this behavior is, is how you blow past them.
B.
Leverage Solitude. We live in a world afraid of being alone. But masters
get that isolation breeds ideation. We do our best thinking–and
download our genius–away from the world, not within it. When we work
alone in our studio or walk solo in the woods, our brain waves shift
from beta to alpha. Neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine and
anandamide (the brain chemical of bliss) get made. Our pre-frontal
cortex (the part of our brains that do all the thinking–and
self-criticizing) becomes quiet. And we access the staggering brilliance
that lies within each one of us.
C. Renew
Your Assets. For the legendary producer, there are 3 main assets needed
to sustain fantastic results: focus + willpower + energy. If all you do
all day is use these resources without replenishing them, they will
deplete. The wells will empty. You’ll descend from mastery to
mediocrity. Your greatness will decline.
- See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/05/how-great-masters-think/#sthash.WojRMuh8.dpuf
It’s springtime in my hometown. The tulips bloom. The leaves return. The warm breezes flow.
Reading the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and fascinated not only by the choices but by the common commitment to utter excellence that infiltrates their lives…
They mention famed author Haruki Murakami, whose book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
I truly adore. Murakami is a marathon runner (he started at 33), a
former jazz club owner and self-described loner who took up writing
because he wasn’t a great musician. More importantly, his painstaking
devotion to his craft has allowed him to have an explosive impact on the
world of literature.
They list Harry Potter
star Emma Watson (she auditioned for the first movie at the age of 9), a
gender equality advocate whose “HeForShe” speech before the United
Nations moved me deeply and reminded me that few things matter more than
standing for a cause you’d take a bullet for.
They include Kanye West whose debut album College Dropout is without a doubt one of the greatest Hip Hop works of all-time (Do yourself a favor and listen to the song Last Call
before you ever give up on a dream–you’ll get a sense of the struggles
he had to transcend over many years to become “an overnight sensation”).
Love him or dis-love him, West’s devotion to total craft mastery is
indisputable. And inspirational.
TIME also profiles tech
visionary Elizabeth Holmes, the 31 year old billionaire founder of
Theranos. Henry Kissinger, on hearing her vision for her healthcare
company after she’d just dropped out of Stanford, told her she had only
two prospects: “total failure or vast success.” She clearly committed to
the latter. And at a young age has become a master maker in the
entrepreneurial field.
A discussion of rare-air influencers and epic producers also makes me think of…
–U2. I know they’ve been around for years but these guys are absolutely relentless in their pursuit of perfection. If the result is not amazing, they just don’t mess with it. Just listen to Bono sing Every Breaking Wave
live on YouTube and tears will flow as you witness the pure mastery
born of an adult lifetime of practice, gorgeously expressing itself.
–Jazz legend John
Coltrane. As a sax player in his school band, he was unremarkable (just
like Mozart’s first 10 years of musical compositions showed zero signs
of genius). But after being blown away by a performance of Charlie
Parker, he committed to the monomaniacal focus, study, training and
sacrifice that eventually allowed him to produce sounds that no one had
ever heard before (he practiced the sax so hard the reeds would be
soaked with his blood).
–William Shakespeare. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,
Shakespeare wrote almost 1/10th of the most quoted lines in the English
language and has been said to have introduced nearly 3000 words to it. A
true titan of production.
So what do these A-players
of immense achievement + global impact have in common that you can
consider, to find your ideal approach?
The 4 Mindsets of Genius
#1. Nothing Matters More Than The Work.
Not fame. Not fortune. Not
glory. “Balance” just isn’t the game of most people playing at
legendary performance. Their lives are all about their craft. It’s their
true love, their greatest passion and their central mission. And
because of this, they overcome the impatience, self-doubt, fear of
stumbling and attraction to distraction that causes most of us to give
up prior to genius showing up.
#2. The Process Matters More Than The Masterpiece.
Icons of their fields get
that elite performance takes years of deep training. They see themselves
as apprentices, learning the skill (often at the feet of a master) step
by step, day by day. They commit to their education. They ritualize the
discipline. They understand greatness takes time (Darwin had the
devotion to study barnacles for 8 years as part of forging his
scientific understanding).
#3. The Audacity of Originality Is The Dream.
Great performers go
through a series of phases. They start as beginners (every pro was once
an amateur). In this period, they watch the masters and copy their
moves. With focus, grit and practice they reach the next part: technical
brilliance. Audiences are delighted by their proficiency. But what
lacks is soul and bravery and audacity. As the performer continues, they
reach the final stage. This is where world-class skill meets serious
heart. The performer has the guts to express their own voice. Do their
own thing. Behave in ways no one has ever seen. This is the goal of
every A-Player. To become a phenomenon.
#4. Genius Is an Inner Play.
Here’s what I mean by this
observation: genius is less about natural gifts than internal
character. The titans of sport + science + art + enterprise are not the
smartest nor the most talented (just think of all the super-talented
people who do nothing with their potential). No, the best of the best
are those with the character traits that allow them to stick to
the vision, transcend insecurity, endure the pain of intense practice
and ignore the envious ridicule of their critics.
At this year’s Titan Summit,
my legendary annual event for people ready to rise to best in world in
their work and personal lives, I’m bringing in the top experts on the
planet to help those who get a seat make genius performances a way of
being as well as create lives they adore…
For now, please allow me to offer you these practices to start installing today to fuel your rise:
A. Set
Initiations. All rare-air performers set clear challenges like the
writer who sets a goal to produce a book within 60 days that contains
languaging well-beyond anything she’s ever done. Or the tech star who
creates the app that disrupts an industry. Or the athlete who runs
farther than he’s ever run. Committing to regularly going past your limits, painful as this behavior is, is how you blow past them.
B.
Leverage Solitude. We live in a world afraid of being alone. But masters
get that isolation breeds ideation. We do our best thinking–and
download our genius–away from the world, not within it. When we work
alone in our studio or walk solo in the woods, our brain waves shift
from beta to alpha. Neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine and
anandamide (the brain chemical of bliss) get made. Our pre-frontal
cortex (the part of our brains that do all the thinking–and
self-criticizing) becomes quiet. And we access the staggering brilliance
that lies within each one of us.
C. Renew
Your Assets. For the legendary producer, there are 3 main assets needed
to sustain fantastic results: focus + willpower + energy. If all you do
all day is use these resources without replenishing them, they will
deplete. The wells will empty. You’ll descend from mastery to
mediocrity. Your greatness will decline.
- See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/05/how-great-masters-think/#sthash.WojRMuh8.dpuf
It’s springtime in my hometown. The tulips bloom. The leaves return. The warm breezes flow.
Reading the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and fascinated not only by the choices but by the common commitment to utter excellence that infiltrates their lives…
They mention famed author Haruki Murakami, whose book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
I truly adore. Murakami is a marathon runner (he started at 33), a
former jazz club owner and self-described loner who took up writing
because he wasn’t a great musician. More importantly, his painstaking
devotion to his craft has allowed him to have an explosive impact on the
world of literature.
They list Harry Potter
star Emma Watson (she auditioned for the first movie at the age of 9), a
gender equality advocate whose “HeForShe” speech before the United
Nations moved me deeply and reminded me that few things matter more than
standing for a cause you’d take a bullet for.
They include Kanye West whose debut album College Dropout is without a doubt one of the greatest Hip Hop works of all-time (Do yourself a favor and listen to the song Last Call
before you ever give up on a dream–you’ll get a sense of the struggles
he had to transcend over many years to become “an overnight sensation”).
Love him or dis-love him, West’s devotion to total craft mastery is
indisputable. And inspirational.
TIME also profiles tech
visionary Elizabeth Holmes, the 31 year old billionaire founder of
Theranos. Henry Kissinger, on hearing her vision for her healthcare
company after she’d just dropped out of Stanford, told her she had only
two prospects: “total failure or vast success.” She clearly committed to
the latter. And at a young age has become a master maker in the
entrepreneurial field.
A discussion of rare-air influencers and epic producers also makes me think of…
–U2. I know they’ve been around for years but these guys are absolutely relentless in their pursuit of perfection. If the result is not amazing, they just don’t mess with it. Just listen to Bono sing Every Breaking Wave
live on YouTube and tears will flow as you witness the pure mastery
born of an adult lifetime of practice, gorgeously expressing itself.
–Jazz legend John
Coltrane. As a sax player in his school band, he was unremarkable (just
like Mozart’s first 10 years of musical compositions showed zero signs
of genius). But after being blown away by a performance of Charlie
Parker, he committed to the monomaniacal focus, study, training and
sacrifice that eventually allowed him to produce sounds that no one had
ever heard before (he practiced the sax so hard the reeds would be
soaked with his blood).
–William Shakespeare. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,
Shakespeare wrote almost 1/10th of the most quoted lines in the English
language and has been said to have introduced nearly 3000 words to it. A
true titan of production.
So what do these A-players
of immense achievement + global impact have in common that you can
consider, to find your ideal approach?
The 4 Mindsets of Genius
#1. Nothing Matters More Than The Work.
Not fame. Not fortune. Not
glory. “Balance” just isn’t the game of most people playing at
legendary performance. Their lives are all about their craft. It’s their
true love, their greatest passion and their central mission. And
because of this, they overcome the impatience, self-doubt, fear of
stumbling and attraction to distraction that causes most of us to give
up prior to genius showing up.
#2. The Process Matters More Than The Masterpiece.
Icons of their fields get
that elite performance takes years of deep training. They see themselves
as apprentices, learning the skill (often at the feet of a master) step
by step, day by day. They commit to their education. They ritualize the
discipline. They understand greatness takes time (Darwin had the
devotion to study barnacles for 8 years as part of forging his
scientific understanding).
#3. The Audacity of Originality Is The Dream.
Great performers go
through a series of phases. They start as beginners (every pro was once
an amateur). In this period, they watch the masters and copy their
moves. With focus, grit and practice they reach the next part: technical
brilliance. Audiences are delighted by their proficiency. But what
lacks is soul and bravery and audacity. As the performer continues, they
reach the final stage. This is where world-class skill meets serious
heart. The performer has the guts to express their own voice. Do their
own thing. Behave in ways no one has ever seen. This is the goal of
every A-Player. To become a phenomenon.
#4. Genius Is an Inner Play.
Here’s what I mean by this
observation: genius is less about natural gifts than internal
character. The titans of sport + science + art + enterprise are not the
smartest nor the most talented (just think of all the super-talented
people who do nothing with their potential). No, the best of the best
are those with the character traits that allow them to stick to
the vision, transcend insecurity, endure the pain of intense practice
and ignore the envious ridicule of their critics.
At this year’s Titan Summit,
my legendary annual event for people ready to rise to best in world in
their work and personal lives, I’m bringing in the top experts on the
planet to help those who get a seat make genius performances a way of
being as well as create lives they adore…
For now, please allow me to offer you these practices to start installing today to fuel your rise:
A. Set
Initiations. All rare-air performers set clear challenges like the
writer who sets a goal to produce a book within 60 days that contains
languaging well-beyond anything she’s ever done. Or the tech star who
creates the app that disrupts an industry. Or the athlete who runs
farther than he’s ever run. Committing to regularly going past your limits, painful as this behavior is, is how you blow past them.
B.
Leverage Solitude. We live in a world afraid of being alone. But masters
get that isolation breeds ideation. We do our best thinking–and
download our genius–away from the world, not within it. When we work
alone in our studio or walk solo in the woods, our brain waves shift
from beta to alpha. Neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine and
anandamide (the brain chemical of bliss) get made. Our pre-frontal
cortex (the part of our brains that do all the thinking–and
self-criticizing) becomes quiet. And we access the staggering brilliance
that lies within each one of us.
C. Renew
Your Assets. For the legendary producer, there are 3 main assets needed
to sustain fantastic results: focus + willpower + energy. If all you do
all day is use these resources without replenishing them, they will
deplete. The wells will empty. You’ll descend from mastery to
mediocrity. Your greatness will decline.
- See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/05/how-great-masters-think/#sthash.WojRMuh8.dpuf
It’s springtime in my hometown. The tulips bloom. The leaves return. The warm breezes flow.
Reading the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and fascinated not only by the choices but by the common commitment to utter excellence that infiltrates their lives…
They mention famed author Haruki Murakami, whose book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
I truly adore. Murakami is a marathon runner (he started at 33), a
former jazz club owner and self-described loner who took up writing
because he wasn’t a great musician. More importantly, his painstaking
devotion to his craft has allowed him to have an explosive impact on the
world of literature.
They list Harry Potter
star Emma Watson (she auditioned for the first movie at the age of 9), a
gender equality advocate whose “HeForShe” speech before the United
Nations moved me deeply and reminded me that few things matter more than
standing for a cause you’d take a bullet for.
They include Kanye West whose debut album College Dropout is without a doubt one of the greatest Hip Hop works of all-time (Do yourself a favor and listen to the song Last Call
before you ever give up on a dream–you’ll get a sense of the struggles
he had to transcend over many years to become “an overnight sensation”).
Love him or dis-love him, West’s devotion to total craft mastery is
indisputable. And inspirational.
TIME also profiles tech
visionary Elizabeth Holmes, the 31 year old billionaire founder of
Theranos. Henry Kissinger, on hearing her vision for her healthcare
company after she’d just dropped out of Stanford, told her she had only
two prospects: “total failure or vast success.” She clearly committed to
the latter. And at a young age has become a master maker in the
entrepreneurial field.
A discussion of rare-air influencers and epic producers also makes me think of…
–U2. I know they’ve been around for years but these guys are absolutely relentless in their pursuit of perfection. If the result is not amazing, they just don’t mess with it. Just listen to Bono sing Every Breaking Wave
live on YouTube and tears will flow as you witness the pure mastery
born of an adult lifetime of practice, gorgeously expressing itself.
–Jazz legend John
Coltrane. As a sax player in his school band, he was unremarkable (just
like Mozart’s first 10 years of musical compositions showed zero signs
of genius). But after being blown away by a performance of Charlie
Parker, he committed to the monomaniacal focus, study, training and
sacrifice that eventually allowed him to produce sounds that no one had
ever heard before (he practiced the sax so hard the reeds would be
soaked with his blood).
–William Shakespeare. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations,
Shakespeare wrote almost 1/10th of the most quoted lines in the English
language and has been said to have introduced nearly 3000 words to it. A
true titan of production.
So what do these A-players
of immense achievement + global impact have in common that you can
consider, to find your ideal approach?
The 4 Mindsets of Genius
#1. Nothing Matters More Than The Work.
Not fame. Not fortune. Not
glory. “Balance” just isn’t the game of most people playing at
legendary performance. Their lives are all about their craft. It’s their
true love, their greatest passion and their central mission. And
because of this, they overcome the impatience, self-doubt, fear of
stumbling and attraction to distraction that causes most of us to give
up prior to genius showing up.
#2. The Process Matters More Than The Masterpiece.
Icons of their fields get
that elite performance takes years of deep training. They see themselves
as apprentices, learning the skill (often at the feet of a master) step
by step, day by day. They commit to their education. They ritualize the
discipline. They understand greatness takes time (Darwin had the
devotion to study barnacles for 8 years as part of forging his
scientific understanding).
#3. The Audacity of Originality Is The Dream.
Great performers go
through a series of phases. They start as beginners (every pro was once
an amateur). In this period, they watch the masters and copy their
moves. With focus, grit and practice they reach the next part: technical
brilliance. Audiences are delighted by their proficiency. But what
lacks is soul and bravery and audacity. As the performer continues, they
reach the final stage. This is where world-class skill meets serious
heart. The performer has the guts to express their own voice. Do their
own thing. Behave in ways no one has ever seen. This is the goal of
every A-Player. To become a phenomenon.
#4. Genius Is an Inner Play.
Here’s what I mean by this
observation: genius is less about natural gifts than internal
character. The titans of sport + science + art + enterprise are not the
smartest nor the most talented (just think of all the super-talented
people who do nothing with their potential). No, the best of the best
are those with the character traits that allow them to stick to
the vision, transcend insecurity, endure the pain of intense practice
and ignore the envious ridicule of their critics.
At this year’s Titan Summit,
my legendary annual event for people ready to rise to best in world in
their work and personal lives, I’m bringing in the top experts on the
planet to help those who get a seat make genius performances a way of
being as well as create lives they adore…
For now, please allow me to offer you these practices to start installing today to fuel your rise:
A. Set
Initiations. All rare-air performers set clear challenges like the
writer who sets a goal to produce a book within 60 days that contains
languaging well-beyond anything she’s ever done. Or the tech star who
creates the app that disrupts an industry. Or the athlete who runs
farther than he’s ever run. Committing to regularly going past your limits, painful as this behavior is, is how you blow past them.
B.
Leverage Solitude. We live in a world afraid of being alone. But masters
get that isolation breeds ideation. We do our best thinking–and
download our genius–away from the world, not within it. When we work
alone in our studio or walk solo in the woods, our brain waves shift
from beta to alpha. Neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine and
anandamide (the brain chemical of bliss) get made. Our pre-frontal
cortex (the part of our brains that do all the thinking–and
self-criticizing) becomes quiet. And we access the staggering brilliance
that lies within each one of us.
C. Renew
Your Assets. For the legendary producer, there are 3 main assets needed
to sustain fantastic results: focus + willpower + energy. If all you do
all day is use these resources without replenishing them, they will
deplete. The wells will empty. You’ll descend from mastery to
mediocrity. Your greatness will decline.
- See more at: http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/05/how-great-masters-think/#sthash.WojRMuh8.dpuf
