Have you ever felt like you’re NOT achieving your full potential, no matter how hard you try?
Lots of men do. They work day in and day out, they de-clutter their lives, they try out one “life hack” after another… but in the end, they take a look at their lives and think: “I’m going nowhere fast!”
Just a few years ago, I was in that same dark place in my life. I was broke, my first two businesses went bankrupt, and I was fighting for custody of my son. Nothing was going right, no matter what I tried.
But since then, I’ve been able to experience a few tastes of greatness, such as:
• I’ve started my own coaching business
• I’ve written a number of books
• I’ve put up a successful mastermind group
• I’ve gotten myself out of debt
• I’m letting my son get a good education
• What helped me through?
I don’t mean to be too religious or spiritual, but it was a single Bible quote that kept me grounded and – in the process – taught me how to unlock the greatness within me.
That quote was Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
This simple quote gave rise to the four tips I’m about to share with you. These tips helped me get my life in order and start achieving some greatness – hopefully, they’ll do the same for you.
Greatness Tip #1: Understand That You Can’t Control Everything.
Nobody’s perfect – even Biblical figures. All the saints, prophets, kings, and even Jesus during His time couldn’t control everything. But instead of fighting this, they understood and accepted it.
You should, too, because that would lead to the next tip:
Greatness Tip #2: Know What You CAN Control.
Everything that’s happening in your life right now can fall neatly into one of two categories: Things you can control, and things you can’t. The key is to cut out, give up, or learn to live with the things you can’t control… but be aware of the things you CAN control
These are the things you should put on your proverbial plate. Everything else can go.
Greatness Tip #3: Have a Clear Purpose in Life.
Everything that IS on your plate should all pull you in one direction: Your purpose in life.
My personal purpose in life can be divided into four priorities:
1. To be a good champion of Christ
2. To be a good father to my son
3. To be a good mentor to my mastermind group members
4. To help individuals and companies improve their bottom lines
Everything I do in life helps me achieve at least one of my four priorities. If something doesn’t pull me in the direction of my purpose, I don’t do it.
Greatness Tip #4: Study Yourself.
You probably study the great people in your field, and try to follow their example. That’s good. But don’t forget to study yourself, too.
Track your performance as the days, months, and years go by. Take note of your power hours, your time sinks, your strengths and weaknesses, and so on. Identify what works – keep doing them and making them better if you can. Identify what doesn’t work – and try something else. That’s how you keep getting better.
Achieve Greatness
In the end, I learned that greatness is less about “being the best” and much more about “trying your best.” And that’s not all – it’s also about trying your best in the areas where you’re most likely to succeed.
These four tips have helped me find my “space” in the world, and achieve greatness in ways that matter to me and the people who matter to me. Hopefully, they’ll do the same for you.
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Photo: Getty Images