ACCELERATE
YOUR ABILITIES by Chris Widener
In
today's fast-paced life, the wins usually go to those with exceptional
skills and abilities. The old quote is true, "The race is not always
won
by the swift and the strong, but that is the way to bet."
With
this in mind, and with your desire to become increasingly successful,
here
are some ways to accelerate your abilities, thus enabling you to
achieve
greater and greater things.
Become
dissatisfied with your current state. Growth for growth's sake is
good.
Those who will achieve much are those who say to themselves, "I want to
grow. I want to be better. And I am willing to do what it takes to get
there. This current state is not enough!" This dissatisfaction will
create
for you an insatiable drive to do what it takes to get your abilities
to
the next level.
Visualize
the benefits of increased abilities. Put them at the forefront of
your
mind. This will saturate your mind with the motivation that it will
take
for you to do what it takes to increase your abilities. What good will
come out of my increased ability? How will I be better off as well as
the
others around me? The answers to these questions act as the carrot
before
the horse, moving you forward.
Understand
your weaknesses. If you want to improve, one of the best ways is to
start with some area that you aren't particularly good at. This is the
"shoring up method." Sometimes it is easier to improve something you
aren't
good at that something you are. And the gains will still look great for
your overall situation! Take some time to consider what areas you are
weakest
in and focus in on them for a while. The results will obviously be much
more pronounced than getting better at something you have already
somewhat
mastered.
Attempt
greater levels of what you are already good at. Another tact to
take
would be to stretch yourself in an area that you already have some
skill
and ability in. What areas do you excel in? Now understand that when
you
leave the weaker areas weak and make extraordinary gains in one area,
then
you will be moving more toward "specialist" rather than "generalist."
That
is okay, but needs to fit in with your overall goals.
Commit
time each day to improvement. Steady improvement is the way to go.
In fact, you may not see improvement for days or weeks. You may feel
like
you are failing each time. But alas, eventually you will get it and
your
skill will increase to the next level. The key is day in, day out,
spending
time working on improving. Even five minutes a day equals a half hour a
week, 2 hours a month. That adds up! Remember, Practice, practice,
practice.
Seek
out and spend time with someone who has greater ability than you.
One
of the best things to do to increase your ability is hang out with
people
who are already more skilled than you. Watching, them, studying them,
interacting
with them, even competing with them will make you better. As in sports,
to improve, you play with people better than you, not worse. They will
raise you to a new level. Who around you can you get involved with who
will help you with your ability?
Take
a class or hire a coach. Go to school my friend. Take a course at
a
local college or vocational institute. Take a class online. Hire one of
the many coaches available today. Pick a specific skill you would like
to improve upon and find someone who is a specialist in that area. At
the
very least, pick up some audio or videotapes to help you grow.
Be
the tortoise, not the hare. Slow but sure. Take your time, do it
right.
Keep going in the right direction. Learn your craft correctly. Don't
give
up quality for speed. The whole idea of acceleration is this way: Slow
start, work up to high speeds, go the distance. Luckily life isn't a
sprint
but a marathon!
Hope
these ideas help you as you commit to accelerating your abilities!
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