It is no secret that having loads of potentials does not always translate into being successful. Being the best student in your class or the most hard working person in your organization does not mean you are going to be the most successful or emerge as the company CEO. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, “Outliers”, observed that many people who won the Nobel Prize were not geniuses. They had just enough IQ to get them into college. Also, talent shows like the American Idol, show that the most talented artist is not always crowned the winner. This certainly shows that success is cumulative and it takes more than talent to succeed. People who succeed have a rugged and unwavering commitment to their cause. They are Focused, Available and Trainable (F.A.T)? If you’ve got talent, you may want to apply the F.A.T principle in getting to the next level. Let’s take a look at the F.A.T principle more closely:
Are you Focused? – A friend gave me an analogy one day on the power of focus – he said when you sprinkle water on the ground, it doesn’t take long for the effect to disappear, but when you pour water on a particular spot, you cannot deny the impact that was created. Similarly, when you pursue a lot of ideas and dreams at once, each one of them will only dissipate your energy and you find out that you are not outstanding in any. Think of any successful company, you will notice that what made them successful initially was a single product. For example, Coca Cola is mainly known for it’s star brand Coke. Prioritize your dreams, the success of one dream will birth all your other dreams. When you focus on your focus you will one day become the focus of the world’s admiration.
Available and Able – No matter how talented you are, you must be willingly, available and ready to put in the required hours to turn your dreams to reality. Bear in mind that it is possible to be talented and still be mediocre in performance, if you are complacent. You also need to be realistic about what your strengths and weaknesses are. Steve Jobs is a firm believer that you will excel and what you love to do. When you are putting a ton of hours, the pain you feel is the one that drives you to be better and not burned out. Malcolm Gladwell, argues that there is a very thin line in performance between ability and availability, if over 10,000 hours have been deployed to a particular craft or profession.
Trainable – Are you trainable? Are you a filled glass? It’s only a thirsty person that seeks to quench his thirst. You do not know it all. According to Michael Dell, "If you are the smartest person in the room, you are probably in the wrong room". Time and time again studies have shown that a person’s attitude can make or break, regardless of how talented you may be. If you are willing to learn, people will show up and help you get to where you need to be. There is no point in re-inventing the wheel. If you want to go up, humble yourself and ask for help from mentors. Asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness. A wise man knows what he knows and develops his weak areas by associating with people who are smarter than himself. When you stand on the shoulder of a giant you see further.
Your best days ahead of you! Stay focused. Make yourself available. Be humble – there is something you can learn from everyone. Yeah we have all made mistakes and made wrong decisions. That’s okay. Take the mishaps as your schooling period and move on. Get back on your feet. The world is waiting on you to make your impact. You are here, you are valuable and you matter! Make it count!
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Photo Credits: Joe Na
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