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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