Learning from the best + Blood, Sweat and Tears

The best in their fields are rarely products of the system for everybody. They mostly go through their own paths. No system can develop an individual better than taking personal needs into account in the best possible way. Often they want to share their path with others or someone else wants to know the secret to their success. With this, you can get better too. This can happen in many different ways. Learn from the opportunity if you get one. Today, the easiest option is to take advantage of videos, interviews, or books.

If you want to get to the top then you can’t gather advice from mediocre people. Not even good individuals can help you with that. Focus only on the information provided by top individuals. Absolute best is often difficult to measure. It can be considered a matter of taste. A good gauge e.g. the arts have sales volumes and sums of money from individual works. Don’t copy one hit wonders but the ones that have been at the top for a long time. Without long-term success, it can only be about happiness. Explore talent from many different fields. Often, many things unite many things. The clearest examples are a passion for an object of interest and following one’s own path. In addition to them, there are many other commonalities, but they are the most important.

It is easy for you to follow the development paths of the champions in your field today. You can find a lot of their interviews on the internet. They have shared their life through biographies as well. Autobiographies are the best options. Two of the best I have read are ”Open” from Andre Agassi and ”On Writing” by Stephen King On Writing. They tell about how their thoughts on their lives and professions have been thrown from one emotional state to another. The failures that are necessary for everyone are best highlighted in autobiographies. They are widely available from libraries or at low prices online.

Blood, sweat and tears

Staying put is not your problem if you are happy with your situation and are able to arrange it so that you do not have any problems. Today, this is not easy. Escape from your comfort zone often enough if you want to move forward. This may not require extra work from you but new ways of doing things. Without resistance, there will be no development. It occurs in many forms and can be divided into external and internal resistance. Development often happens by hitting your head on the wall over and over again until you succeed.

Your ego is your biggest problem when you stay put. Going to areas of discomfort is your biggest hurdle. It makes you believe you don’t need a change. You are often the victim of your habits. Routines wire your brain without you noticing. You’ll have a hard time getting up if you’ve been staying on your couch for a long time. You need to transcend yourself and endure a certain amount of pain in order to develop into excellence. Top athletes have to put everything and a little extra into the game. Few are willing to go far enough. However, development requires crossing your borders in one way or another. It requires a head-on struggle. It is not a question of quantity but of power. Increasing the amount of exercise above a certain point does not help because the limits of development come into play.

Your battle inside your head can also be due to pressure from your environment and friends. It can also be called external pressure, but you decide how you feel about it. The most important way to reduce external pressure is to find out the reasons for the opposition. If your changes don’t suit everyone then reduce their company. External pressures can also become unknown. For some, this pressure is easier to deal with, but it is unique. You need to understand that you cannot live up to the expectations of others if you want to get the most out of your life. In the world of pioneers, the resistance is tougher because no one has done the same things before. By pioneers I mean e.g. top scientists and record-breaking athletes.

Understand that development is not just an uphill but it includes downhills and long journeys on a flat. Many times running towards the wall often makes the mind quit as well. Sometimes you should go around the wall or try a completely different route. Failure in one battle does not mean losing the war. Setbacks are necessary because without them you may never try in the most sensible way. They can hurt, but still don’t give up. That is the surest way to fail. You can prepare for setbacks mentally, physically, and financially. The masters and pioneers in their field have always been a little crazy and have suffered from it.

The lives of the mediocre people can be much easier and recommended for many. The crazy often do more and going to the frontiers of nonsense can produce disasters. However, don’t underestimate them because they are moving the world forward. You learn well from failures, so don’t be afraid of them. They will be for everyone. How you react to them will determine your future success.