Alan Bishop explains the magic behind virtuosity and other ways to live the life you really want.
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You’re being fooled.
Yup. The wool’s being pulled over your eyes and you’re drinking the KoolAid .
The scary part is you fall into 1 of 2 categories.
1. You buy into the hype and are doing this of your own free will or…
2. You’re being convinced and sold the snake oil by someone you’ve given your trust to.
If you fall into either one of these categories STOP RIGHT NOW.
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I’m not trying to be overly dramatic but I’m definitely trying to make a point. If living your dream’s the goal then first you need to understand YOU.
Too many businesses want to sell you their “Magic Pill”. That “mothers little helper” that will get you on your way…
On your way to where?
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”- Henry David Thoreau
Their way….or yours?
The one size fits all solution just doesn’t work for creating the life that you want to live.
You need to understand your path,
Your choices,
Your wants and your needs.
How? Well this is where it gets fun.
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Have you ever experienced that moment…that elusive moment when everything seems to be going according to plan.
According to Your Plan.
That’s Virtuosity.
The dictionary definition of Virtuosity relates to musical ability or a great artistic pursuit.
I prefer to use the world a little differently—I’m using it in the context of being the best you can be and doing the common things uncommonly well.
Virtuosity is your ability to be better everyday.
I believe a challenge for people is to scale things back, to work on what they do well rather than worry about what everyone else wants them to do well (read this).
I think most people get bored and move on.
Instead, why not learn the fundamentals, perfect who YOU are, master your body, mind and beliefs.
“The attraction of the virtuoso for the public is very like that of the circus for the crowd. There is always the hope that something dangerous will happen.” – Claude Debussy
What’s the rush? Who’s pushing you?
Look at some of the greatest “Masters” in life. If you trace back their paths they all have a relatively similar history.
They built their skill, wisdom and practice on a sound foundation.
They put in the time.
They minimized distractions.
They had patience.
So with this in mind here’s:
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3 Ways to Ensure Your Success and Stop living the Hoax
1 – Self-Discipline
Self-Discipline is the Kevlar Vest for achievement.
It protects us from our everyday battles and this is one battle that never ends.
We fight this battle of self-discipline on many different fronts. At times we fight it with passion while at other times we lay down with our hands and feet in the air like a submissive dog because we feel like we just can’t take it anymore.
If you want to lose weight – you must stay away from the foods that aren’t right for you – Self-Discipline
If you want to get more sleep – you must go to bed earlier – Self-Discipline
If you want to find a loving relationship – you must first love yourself – Self-Discipline
It’s not rocket science but at times, it’s desperately hard.
Self Discipline doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen without learning how to achieve it for you. The cool thing about Self-Discipline though is once you learn how to do it for YOU it then becomes repeatable.
Start small, take the tiniest step possible, commit to it and follow through.
Build on the success because they lay the foundation for everything that follows. It works, but it takes a bit of time. You’re WORTH it. (for more on Self-Discipline read this)
2 – Hustle
You’ve got to get out there and make it happen.
Look at every great coach from John Wooden to Vince Lombardi, they’ve all stated they would choose a team of “hustlers over superstars”.
It’s the Hustle that gets the job done.
It’s the Hustle that allows you to seize an opportunity, moment or experience.
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”- Abraham Lincoln
Great Hustlers are people like Benjamin Franklin, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Cuban, Thomas Edison, Dr. Temple Grandin, all of them sought a new way, a different vision or reinvention of their ideas and spaces. They all kept pushing the ball forward.
To succeed you can’t stop. You have to keep hustling.
The level of your hustle will determine the speed in which you achieve your current success goals.
Go after it. You have nothing to lose.
Hustlers always go after it—whatever IT may be.
Hustlers have fear, apprehension, caution, unease and all the other things that you might be feeling but they also have desire. The desire is what continues to push them forward. (For more on Hustle read the great post here by Tom Morkes)
If you have desire… you can Hustle.
3 – Support
You can’t hope to do it all on your own. If “Living the Dream” is your goal then get some help NOW.
You’ll get there quicker because the Lone Wolf mentality only gets you so far.
I still fight this demon on a daily basis. I have people offering their help and support to me but for some strange and unknown reason I rebel from it.
I push them away, ignore or devalue their offers.
In NO WAY do I intend to offend or make light of their amazing, kind and completely supportive offers. It’s just this deep seated Lone Wolf persona that I’ve created.
I’m getting better but I still have a ton of self-work to do in this area of my life.
If you’re not afflicted with this particular blockage than get used to immediately accepting help.
“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” – Paulo Coelho
The moment someone offers you help: Take it.
This one simple act of saying “Yes, I’d love your help” can save you days, weeks and months of tireless effort on your part.
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No Quick Fix
I started off this post by saying you’re being fooled.
Fooled by the constant hype to do more, be more, get more and the snake oil salesmen out there who want to sell you the quick fix.
Slow things down a bit, digest how these 3 ways above can impact your life. They WORK. Find more success.
For more on the subject of Success here are 21 more ideas to keep you on track. Add to that list by telling me about your ideas for success. What is it you want to share with others?
As always, I welcome and appreciate any comments and thoughts.
Alan, love this.
“Self-Discipline is the Kevlar Vest for achievement.
It protects us from our everyday battles and this is one battle that never ends.”
I couldn’t agree more (and couldn’t have said it better myself).
Thanks so much for sharing my work, too! Really means a lot to me, sincerely.
Let’s connect soon!
– Tom