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Maximize your potential: 3 things you need to do to get the most out of life
You don’t need a degree in the study of human behavior to see that there are two types of people in the world: the motivated and the unmotivated.
They’re pretty easy to point out, too. The motivated live with a purpose while the unmotivated go through life as if they have nothing to lose.
Now, if you’re of the former, you know the hustle for greatness can be taxing.
Owning the responsibility of achieving more organically gives life a heavier load. Unlike the latter, the life you want is continually at odds with the life you have and the struggle to make those worlds one weeds out weak.
It really doesn’t matter what you do, either. It can be a career in the medical field, entrepreneurial aspirations, or dreams of becoming the next music icon. If you want to be at the top, difficulties will always arise. They take the form of bills, family, illness, fatigue, and a host of other unforeseeable uncertainties.
The kicker is: life doesn’t stop because of them.
What separates the people that want it and the people that don’t, and the people who go places in life and the people who remain stuck, are the adopted techniques to navigate life’s curve balls.
Eliminating excuses of nepotism, handouts, and simply getting done what needs to get done are what all successful people have accomplished. They do whatever it takes to cultivate every ounce of their talent, no matter the circumstance, and it’s because of this fortitude that they are able to win. Luckily, you can too.
In some shape or fashion, the three components of time management, self-discipline and focus have been used by any and everyone who’s achieved greatness. If mastered, these three attributes can take you from wherever you are to where you want to be.
There may be a million and one things you can point out that the next guy has more than you but you still have the same 24 hours. The only gatekeeper to your next level is you, and it’s through mastering these three traits, you can unlock it.
Time management
The most common excuse to not getting something done is the lack of time to do it. What people don’t understand about this excuse, however, is that it automatically exposes them as terrible keepers of time in the first place.
We’re all allotted the same number of minutes every week. If someone is able to accomplish multiple feats, why can’t you? It’s all a matter of management.
The easiest way to get ahead of the competition is to put in more time than them. You can look at any billionaire businessman or read about the regimen of Gucci Mane and you’ll find that the common thread is the time they’ve put in. It comes down to how bad you want it and what you’re willing to sacrifice — and sleep has to be on that list.
You’ll be amazed what you can accomplish when you give yourself a schedule, prioritize your hours, then actually stick to it. With intention and a plan, you can fit in whatever it is you want to accomplish.
Self-discipline
“Master the body and the mind will follow,” is the motto behind NBA Champion and league MVP Stephen Curry’s new campaign with Kaiser Permanente which tackles mental health issues.
The spot broke April 8th during the Golden State Warriors’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans and shows how Curry drowns out all the criticism thrown his way.
The premise of the ad is that when you master your mind — which, in Curry’s case is the outside noise — you can perform at a much higher level. Much is the same with us in our perspective endeavors.
https://youtu.be/kGaE5kBpDE0
With Curry, it’s controlling how outside options affect him; for you, it might be controlling what your diet; and for the next person, it may be controlling their sleeping schedule. Either way, there are things we can do every day to enhance our performance that is completely in our control. It just takes a mastery of self.
We have to lead with our minds, not our bodies. Our bodies will tell us we’re tired, not to go the extra mile, to do what’s easy. But “easy” never got anyone anywhere far. Easy is what the mediocre do. Easy is for the unmotivated.
When you make your mind up to do what you don’t feel like doing and when you discipline your flesh to do what your thoughts want, you’ll find yourself making ground that you’ve never made before.
Focus
Two years ago, Drake hopped on Fetty Wap’s “My Way” and famously opened up his verse by singing: “All I got to do is put my mind to this shit,” and honestly, that resonated with me forever.
While the song is jovial, the concept couldn’t have rung truer: focus is the most fundamental component of success. A lot of us just aren’t putting out minds to… well, anything.
High school taught us to scrape by and college didn’t help much breaking those habits. When you think about it, not trying is an encouraged lifestyle. It’s almost as if we’ve been conditioned to see how we can get the most done with the least amount of effort.
This is a habit that must be broken. Going far in life takes going all in; complete focus; tunnel vision.
LeBron famously goes dark doing playoff time, peeling himself off all social media platforms to zero in on the prize (he’s gone to seven straight NBA finals).
And Kobe has branded #MambaMentality: a mindset of hellbent determination and will; something that’s earned him five rings as well as the reputation as one of the most mentally tough NBA players of all-time. Trust me, it works.
Most of the time people are afraid to try because they are afraid to fail.
They don’t want to feel the disappointment of not achieving at something they’ve put their all in to, and in result, end up never trying hard at anything at all. The secret is, the harder you try, the better you become. Once you find out that you can master one thing, then you’ll have the confidence to master multiple things.
The moment you begin investing time in what matters, weaning yourself off the unnecessary, and zeroing in focus, is the moment everything will begin happening.
If you want the unordinary, then you must live like it. The majority of people don’t commit to these traits, which is why the majority isn’t great.
Get these traits under your belt and you’ll go as far as you see yourself going.