You probably know someone or know of someone who is great at
their job, excels in athletics, intelligent, and can even play an
instrument. Or maybe they are very artistic, social, good with
numbers, and able to learn a new skill or task with seemingly no effort.
Who are these well rounded gifted people and how did they get that
way? A better question may be, is it possible to become more like
them?
What it means to be good at
everything
There are individuals in the world who seem to have a
bottomless well of skills and gifts that allows them to achieve in almost any
endeavor they participate in.They are sometimes called
overachievers because they seem to almost always perform at an above average
level in everything they do.Most overachievers have been
overachieving since a young age and over time have just strengthened the traits
necessary to achieve in almost anything.Does this mean that a
person who has not been overachieving for a lifetime is doomed for
mediocrity?Absolutely not!What enables
overachievers to do so well is the habits and thought processes that they have
developed.
In order for you to begin to become multi-talented and
skilled, you must understand the mindset of those who are overachievers.
Alexandra Robbins wrote a book entitled The Overachievers: The Secret
Lives of Driven Kids where she lays out the negative aspects of high school
students whose lives are driven by perfect GPAs and the pressures of students
today. Although the book is well written, it represents a very
small number of students in American society. The truth is that
overachieving students and adults are rare. If they were common,
they would not be called overachievers.
You may be good at your job and good with numbers, but now
you want to increase your athletic and artistic ability. Or
perhaps you are good at sports but now you want to increase your
intellect. You may even be good at dealing with people but when it
comes to computers or electronics you have no clue where to start.
Well, there is a way to get you closer to becoming more well rounded.
Overachievers
Most overachievers posses nearly the same characteristics and
habits.These traits are applied in almost every challenge, task,
or activity they take part in.So the key is to gain a mindset
that enables you to consistently perform at an above average level in almost all
activity.
Looking at some of the great overachievers through the ages,
most have had a heavy dose of the following characteristics.
Knowing you can be good- Being sure of your ability and aware
of your capabilities is an invaluable skill.To begin to be good
at everything you must begin to be confident in your ability to be above average
in the things you are skilled at.You must even be confident in
your ability to do well in things you’ve never even tried.
Persistence-An
underrated attribute, persistence can make a mountain of difference.
One rule of sales is that you have to hear a customer say “no” three
times before the customer may actually mean “no”. Those who
overachieve understand that how good you are at something you try for the first
time is not a measure of how good you could be the fifth time.
Foresight-Making good observations on the
activities that are going on around you and then gauging the right moves to make
are common characteristics of overachievers.Some of the world’s
greatest athletes understand this skill also.This is why it
sometimes seems that they make the perfect move, play, kick, or pitch at the
perfect time.
Knowledge-Learning all about the activity or
skill that you want to be good in is crucial. Having all the
knowledge and understanding that is needed to carry out your task can be an
enormous advantage.
The Desire to Be Good
One attribute found in most overachievers is the desire they
have to do well.Nobody wants to fail but the level of desire you
may have to do well can help elevate how well you perform.Along
with persistence, desire can sometimes outperform talent.That
desire usually elevates the effort you may put into the activity that you are
doing.
When you see a singer, dancer, athlete, or even an artist, it
is easy to assume that they are succeeding with little effort. The
great ones make it look easy. But this is almost never the
case. I recently visited a museum that was displaying the works of
Norman Rockwell. He became legendary for capturing the realness of
American life in the early and mid 20th century.
The most intriguing part of the exhibit for me was where they
displayed the different drafts of the masterpieces.I was amazed
by how often he would change the facial expressions of the characters, readjust
the positioning of objects, and alter points of view.This showed that along with his talent for painting, he
also applied much effort into his work.
Start Being
Good
You’ve learned that overachievers and well rounded
individuals have a mindset and a set of habits that enable them to do what the
average person wishes they could. So how do you stop wishing and
begin to be good at everything. Here are some ways you can
instantly elevate how you perform in everything that you try.
Focus-Concentrating on the task at hand is
crucial especially if you are trying something for the first time.Being able to drown out external distractions as well as internal ones,
allows you to center your attention at what you are doing thus making it easier
to concentrate.
Self control-Once you are focus, you are able
to control your mind and body so that you can apply all your efforts to what you
are doing.Learn to control nervous reactions and any thoughts of
doubt that may arise.
Ask and learn-Find out what your strengths and
weaknesses are from someone who knows how to do what it is you are trying to
do.
Be willing to fail-Give it your all but
understand that you might not succeed at first.Failing is a part
of the learning process and it is when you fail that you have the opportunity to
learn the most.
Try it all-Never be afraid of a new experience
and learn from everything you try.Remember, you are building
habits and a mindset.A new experience can sometimes give you
insight that you can use when you attempt to be good at something else that you
may try.
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