CAREER
You Can Be Great
By Dan Miller
48days.com
CBN.com
--
I love this age-old argument. Are some people just born with “natural talent” or can anyone be great if they study and practice enough? Was Tiger Woods just born with more talent than most of us have? Or was it the fact that his father introduced him to golf at 18 months old, and then encouraged him to practice intensely? Tiger had already racked up 15 years of practice by the time he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, at age 18. And he has never stopped practicing to improve, devoting many hours every day to conditioning. Even while the undisputed champion, he has twice elected to remake his swing, temporarily causing losses, but never losing his commitment to unrelenting practice.
Winston Churchill, one of the 20th century's greatest orators, practiced his speeches compulsively. Vladimir Horowitz, the great pianist, once said, "If I don't practice for a day, I know it. If I don't practice for two days, my wife knows it. If I don't practice for three days, the world knows it."
So what does this mean for us? The evidence seems to indicate that greatness is less about finding some hidden talent and more about committing to practice in your chosen area. If you want to be great in sales, then practice selling until you’re great. If you want to be great in Internet marketing, then study and practice more than anyone else. If you want to be a great husband, wife, mommy or daddy, then practice doing it with excellence. Don’t expect to just wake up being great in any of those areas.
When I was 5 years old my family moved from New York to Ohio. There my dad bought a 97-acre farm for $13,000. We had one Jersey cow and started the long years of building a dairy herd. I decided early on that I wanted to figure out a better way to make a living. I found books to be a wonderful escape and inspiration. Today I get paid extremely well for writing books to inspire others. Along the way I wrote hundreds of articles and provided them freely to anyone – and continue to do so today as a constant form of practicing the area where I want to be great.
A recent article in Fortune Magazine says this: “The critical reality is that we are not hostage to some naturally granted level of talent. We can make ourselves what we will. Strangely, that idea is not popular. People hate abandoning the notion that they would coast to fame and riches if they found their talent. But that view is tragically constraining, because when they hit life's inevitable bumps in the road, they conclude that they just aren't gifted and give up.”
This should be good news. You don’t have to fret that you were not born with “natural talent.” You can choose where you want to be great and practice your way to the top.
Read the Fortune article
An hour to re-live?
On the last Saturday in October we set our clocks back one hour. I always tell people that time is the one resource we can never recapture. We can replace gas, money, possessions and even health – but once time is gone, it is gone forever. But not on this one day of the year. Here we get to back the clock up and re-live a whole hour.
Which hour of your life would you like to live over? Would you change the hour when you chose a college major? When you signed the loan papers at the bank? When you spoke in anger to someone you loved? When you accepted your current job? Would you just want to extend by an hour one of the best moments of your life?
I actually thought about this and chose to get up when I normally do, went for a long walk and purposely took time to talk with some of our neighbors that I seldom encourage in conversation. I returned home at the regular time (with the one hour extension) refreshed and energized by the renewed encounters.
What did you do with your extra hour? If you recognize an hour you would like to live over, have you prayerfully considered how you would like to re-live it?
Stop rubbing your nose
When you walk in for an interview, you have about 3-4 minutes to make either a positive or a negative impression. The old adages about body language are still true, and this is a big reason companies have gone back to face-to-face interviews rather than just on the phone or Internet.
So here’s your big chance – don’t blow it. Here are some quick tips:
- Have a firm handshake. I still cringe when I get a limp noodle for a handshake. It reeks of weakness.
- Don’t sit with your arms crossed over your chest. You’ll appear unfriendly and disinterested.
- Be conservative on jewelry. Don’t be too flamboyant.
- If you wear a tie, have it pulled up tightly. A loose tie is worse than no tie.
- Practice in advance having a strong confident voice. Energy and enthusiasm will do more than extra degrees.
- Don’t slouch in the seat. Just don’t expect to get that comfortable.
- And don’t rub or touch your nose. It suggests that you’re not being completely honest.
Humor -- Under Control
A mechanic accidentally swallowed some brake fluid and really liked the taste. Before he knew it, he'd polished off a whole bottle of the stuff. His buddy George caught him sneaking a swig the next day.
"That stuff is dangerous," George said. "You've gotta give it up." "Don't worry," the mechanic said, "I can stop any time I want."
Quotes -- Lessons on being Great!
“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; great men make them.” Orison Swett Marden
"The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working. Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, and Mozart settled down day after day to the job in hand. They didn't waste time waiting for inspiration." Ernest Newman, Writer
"Times of general calamity and confusion create great minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storms." Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832)
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Albert Einstein
"You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." Les Brown
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." Anatole France
News You Can Use
White-collar jobs head into the night Circadian Technologies reports that 24 million Americans work outside the hours of 7 AM and 7 PM. Unfortunately in our attempts to go global and work 24/7 these workers are suffering from sleep disturbances, marriage stresses, nutrition and digestion problems, and a “general lack of social interaction. Be careful about agreeing to a weird work schedule. Night Owls
Thes graduits cant speal Companies are increasingly alarmed by the deficiency of high school graduates' reading and writing skills. Experts blame e-mail and text messaging for the abbreviated sentence structures and short-cuts with words that now pass for written communications. So this generation is getting by with writing that may pass for rudimentary communication – “Me cave man – wanna jam tonite?” Grads Unprepared
Just do something honest The dishonest things people do to try to make money often strike me as being more difficult than just pursuing one of the thousands of legitimate ideas available. Two idiots conspired with a secretary at Coke to steal some company trade secrets and sell them to Pepsi. Now all three are looking at 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. These guys must have just jumped off the turnip truck. The alleged plans were foiled after Pepsi, based in Purchase, N.Y., warned Coca-Cola. Pepsi did what any reputable company would have done. Now why didn’t these guys start a yard mowing business, or buying and selling baseball cards on eBay, or importing pottery from Mexico, or write a best-selling book on being stupid?
Have Fun – Make Money: I always chuckle when I see yet another example of someone turning an unusual interest into a profitable business. Mark Mason found success doing what adults make fun of -- he makes a living building sand castles. His company helps grownups reconnect with their inner child through "sand sculpture" projects at corporate events, conventions, theme parties, and lots more. Check this out. Sand Man
Want to start your own business?
If you have any desire to move into your own business – this is the best opportunity you’ll find anywhere. We are providing an instant website, with your own blog and product or service information. Here’s a quick look at the growing list of people who are committed to having the best year of their lives in 2007: 48 Days Coaches
What are your plans to make 2007 different than 2006?
Follow this link if you want to be the leader and businessperson you’ve been dreaming about. Coaching Connection
Dan Miller is the bestselling author of 48 Days To The Work You Love and a renowned Life Coach specializing in career fulfillment. His weekly newsletter reaches 70,000 subscribers. Dan’s articles are featured here at CBN every Tuesday, and you can find out more about Dan at www.48days.com.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|
|