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Stop trying to be great at everything

Are you a perfectionist? I know a lot of people who are always trying to do everything. It’s part control, part we can’t find anyone who thinks like us, part we just don’t want to spend the money or time to train and outsource things. This year my goal is to read a book once a month. This month I read the School of Greatness. I like to be great at everything because of course I can do it my way and it will be the right way. What if my way isn’t the right way though? What if I should let others help me make it better. Get new ideas, do new things, find a new way to succeed. Before I succeed to the fullest potential that I have I have to stop trying to being great at everything….so how do I do that? Let’s dive into some lessons I learned…

Stop trying to be great at everything

You might be looking at your life through the wrong end of the telescope – I like to look at the right side of things but have you ever stopped and looked at life from the other side. It’s almost like you play devil’s advocate with yourself. Think about yourself as if the shoe was on the other foot and look at your life from a different perspective. If you have done things the same way and you are’t getting any results take some time to reevaluate from a different perspective and do things a different way.

It’s easier to come from a place than go to a place – When you’ve been poor all of your life and then go to rich it’s easier than going from a life of being rich to being poor. I have seen people who have made 6 figures be reduced to $9 bucks an hr….it’s hard for them to go to that place. When you work hard, work from a place of honesty and truth because it’s easier to come from that in business than to go back there after you messed up (United Airlines, Pepsi *side eye*)

Your job is to create a vision that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. If it doesn’t, go back to bed until you have a bigger dream – It’s hard for me to get out of bed some mornings but on the mornings where I didn’t even sleep because I am excited at what the day may bring those are the mornings I live for. If you are dragging that means you aren’t excited enough it’s time to have a bigger dream one where you probably won’t even get much rest…because you will be unable to sleep.

We go and focus on those things that we have no control over, it brings us nothing but unhappiness – I can’t control how people think or how they do things. I wish I could get in their heads and give them a swift kick sometimes but I think I have to make sure I let go of control. People think they can do everything themselves and they can’t. It’s the over controlled people that worry me they wanna be the CEO, the customer service rep, the maker, the shipper, the driver, the accountant, the cook, the mailman, shat……they wanna be a one man show and it doesn’t work like that.

Greatness comes from fear. Fear can either shut us down and we go home, or we fight through it – Fear keeps me from a lot of things. Fear of flying keeps me from traveling to countries unknown. Fear of not being a good enough photographer keeps me from reaching out to clients. Fear keeps me in a state of comfortableness. I don’t like getting out of my comfort zone for the fear of the unknown…..what do you fear?

Failure is feedback – Failure gives you the opportunity to look at whats not working and figure out how to make it work. I hate feedback but it gives me the opportunity to improve. Not all customers will give you raving reviews and sometimes it pays to listen to them because a bad customer can make you gain 5 more good ones

Visualization is a powerful process. It puts your mind in a place to set you up for success – What do you visualize? Does it ever come true? They say if you write it down and visualize it, it will manifest itself to you. I don’t know….still skeptical on this one I mean I wrote down that I wanted to win 5 million dollars and it didn’t happen. Oh wait….it’s not that easy lol. Nope it’s not you still have to put the work in.

Be your word – This was the best advice I got from this book. If you say you are going to do something…then do it. If you can’t do it then say you can’t. Don’t lead people on and don’t make promises you can’t keep. In business and in life you will learn that your word is what will seal the deals. If people can’t trust you they won’t work with you

You will never outperform your inner circle. If you want to achieve outer success, improve your inner circle – If you want to be great have great around you. Whose in your inner circle? Who should be in it? If you feel you aren’t going anywhere or you aren’t improving then change and don’t be ashamed to do it.

It’s more important to have positive energy around you than the smartest people – I don’t need smart people around me. All I need are go getters who want to get the job done. Give me a hustler any day. We can all learn and we can take that and be the best that we can be.

These are just a few of the most important parts of the book. Overall the book is a great tool to learn how to achieve the best that you can be. I took from this that life is all about being great with what you have. You don’t have to cheat your way to the top, you don’t have to be the smartest, you don’t have to be the fastest, you just have to be you and bring what you bring to the table. Surround yourself with others who bring themselves to the table and want to work and then go and do that.

What books are you reading? Any suggestions for what my next book should be?

 

 

 

11 Comments

  • Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
    May 12, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    YES! I love this! As a former serial perfectionist, I can tell anyone who’ll listen how exhausting it is to try to be great at everything. You – can – not – do – it.

    Reply
  • Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
    May 12, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    Oh you mean being a perfectionist is a *bad thing*? Twirls away quickly! LOL 🙂

    I’ve learned to go with the flow, but we all need a reminder to just chill every now and again.

    Reply
  • Pam
    May 12, 2017 at 9:50 pm

    Being a serial perfectionist is a great way to burn out. I like he advice about being your word.

    Reply
  • Crystal
    May 12, 2017 at 9:53 pm

    I’m a pretty competitive person and find myself only doing the things I think I’ll be perfect at. It keeps me from trying a lot of new things.

    Reply
  • Theresa
    May 13, 2017 at 1:06 am

    I was just thinking that I need to find that one thing that I’m so passionate about, I can’t wait to get out of bed to do it each morning. I’ve tried to perfect a lot of failed hobbies, but I’m hopeful my dream is right around the corner.

    Reply
  • Jocelyn @ Hip Mama's Place
    May 14, 2017 at 12:02 am

    Like you, I’ve been reading books like this lately. I have to check out this book. I like the part where you said we cannot control how people think of us. Now I know what book I need to read next! 🙂

    Reply
  • ROsey
    May 14, 2017 at 12:46 am

    I’m just trying to find ONE thing to be great at… in this phase of life I’m trying to find my purpose. I thought it was being a mom, but the kids grow up and that job ends or alters extremely in any case.

    Reply
  • Dawn McAlexander
    May 14, 2017 at 1:18 am

    I think I need to study and heed some of your advice. I think I try too hard to control things that I can’t. That is something that I really need to work on.

    Reply
  • Chrystal | Nevermore Lane
    May 14, 2017 at 7:20 pm

    I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this. It has taken me a long time to just let things be and not try to be so perfect about things.

    Reply
  • Stephanie
    May 15, 2017 at 9:10 am

    This post has revealed many truths. I too never try to become a perfectionist. Mistakes happen! We just need to accept those mistakes, learn from them, and move on!!

    Reply
  • Carol Cassara
    May 15, 2017 at 6:43 pm

    I am a hardcore perfectionist at least, I used to be. I realized along the way that life will never be perfect and we should stop trying to be good at every single thing that we try in our life. It’s good to be competitive, so long as it’s healthy but if you try so much to be good at something you’re not, you’re going to end up disappointing yourself.

    Reply

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