Your psychology always drives your strategy.
The way you think and feel always determine how you act.
I find the majority of people are chasing the next great marketing strategy, skill or technique. While these things are needed, a technique will never build a Musk, a Kobe, a Jobs or a Picasso.
Focus on your mindset over your marketing.
Both are necessary, but mindset drives the bus.
To have the correct mindset you must be chasing something that inspires you.
But inspiration alone is not enough either.
Inspiration alone will never build a Kobe Bryant. Many a young boy has been inspired to be a Jordan or Bryant in their romantic little minds, only to end up bagging groceries in the checkout line.
Now there’s nothing wrong with bagging groceries by the way if it’s your calling, but falling into it as a last resort is a sad waste of time and of life.
So if it’s not just mindset alone; and it’s not just skill and technique, what is the secret to true success, wealth and fulfillment?
It’s both of them; and one more.
The quality of your practice determines the quality of your performance.
The masterful individual realizes that skills and inspiration alone are still not enough. He also must develop his skills to a level of mastery.
Mastery takes relentless practice.
Do you want to know how to develop Mastery of ourselves and our craft? Read here.
Anders Ericsson’s research on what it takes to reach elite performance proves that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.
So the trifecta of elite performance, success, and fulfillment is:
- Inspiration (mindset)
- Preparation (study and skill)
- Perspiration (practice; relentless work ethic)
While any of these three principles can be the topic of discussion for days, I’ll do my best to keep it brief.
Most in todays’ world have the attention span of a goldfish. Get focused. Pick your thing and stick with it versus jumping from one shiny object to the next.
Inspiration is your purpose.
The vast majority of people I meet don’t know their purpose.
If you’re in this category then practice until you do.
The only way to do great work is to a lot of work.
Most things you’ll do won’t work,
So work relentlessly until something does work.
Another word for practice is work. Hard work. Relentless work. Perspiration.
He who sweats more in training bleeds less in war.
~ Spartan Warriors Creed
Obviously what got a Kobe Bryant up at 4AM every single day to train and practice is a mind of steal and a commitment to greatness.
Make mindset first.
Invest more in your mindset than in your marketing.
Marketing skills and techniques without mindset will never be applied.
Determine that you’re going to work and practice and work and practice until the day you exit this life.
Let go of the Pollyanna romantic view that someday you’ll “arrive” and it will all fall in your lap easily.
You won’t arrive.
It won’t ever fall in your lap.
Anyone who tells you that is attempting to sell you some quick fix secret sauce.
It doesn’t exist.
Practice is not just something you do to become great.
Practice is what you do when you are great to become greater!
So set your mind.
Find your genius.
Get inspired;
And get to work.
Let me know how I can help you.
Stay Awake, Love Life and Be Epic!
James
