How to Become Great!

Everyone has the potential to become great, but actually acting on that potential is no easy task. Raw talent isn't enough, whether you do or don't have it. You'll need to plan out each step and put in plenty of hard work if you want to get really great at anything in life.

1

Do what you love. Becoming great at anything will require a considerable amount of hard work, and if you aren't pursuing something you can get passionate about, your motivation for continuing will likely fade away before you can achieve the greatness you seek.

• No matter what skill you seek to improve, you will experience hardships, and you will probably feel discouraged when those hardships pop up. If your love for your goal doesn't exceed your level of discouragement at that time, there's a good chance you won't muster the motivation to work past that point.

2

Set realistic goals. It's easy to get discouraged when things go wrong. Mistakes and setbacks are inevitable, but you can avoid unnecessary troubles by setting goals that are achievable and otherwise logistically possible.

• Expecting something to be easy is the worst expectation you can ever hold. When things are more difficult than you were planning on, you're more likely to find yourself frustrated and tempted to quit. To minimize the frustration you'll feel along the way, hope for the best but expect the worst.

3

Stay focused. Focus your time and energy on one major goal at a time and avoid getting pulled away by potential distractions. Devoting yourself to multiple actions will probably decrease the quality of each one.

• Some distractions are obvious. For example, spending time online, watching television, or playing video games is fine in moderation since it can help you relax and recharge, but doing too much of it too often can cause you to waste time you should be spending on the pursuit of your goals.
• Less obvious distractions include other goals. You can become great at multiple things, but you should only focus on one thing at a time. Trying to pursue too much at once will limit the amount of time and practice you can devote to any one thing, thereby making it more difficult to grow in any one skill.

4

Build a support system. While it is possible to achieve greatness without a steady system of support, you'll find the journey much easier to continue if you have mentors and cheerleaders helping you out along the way.

• A large support group isn't necessarily better than a small support group made of dedicated, loyal individuals.
• Mentors and coaches can guide you along the right path. Cheerleaders can support you as you struggle to reach your goals. Even rivals can help motivate you to push through your struggles, but friendly rivals who can value you as a competitor are usually better than hostile ones.

5

Release the reins. There will inevitably be some point at which you will need to accept that someone else knows better or has more control over the way things get done. Instead of fighting that individual, it would be better for you to learn from how that person approaches the task.^[3]

• Observing the way someone else does things can allow you to remove yourself from the process and take a more objective look at things. Don't be afraid to confront beliefs you currently have or consider new ideas. Your way might still be better when all is said and done, but even if that ends up being the case, you will at least be able to reinforce and strengthen your previous ideas.

6

Accept change. Most people are actually okay with the changes they decide to make for themselves, yet struggle with change that is forced upon them regardless of their own will. To get great at anything in life, you'll need to stop getting upset by unexpected change and start learning how to adapt to change as it comes.

• Learning how to adapt is, in itself, a skill worth becoming great at. Life rarely goes according to plan, and even if you become great at the perfect cookie-cutter way of doing something, you may eventually need to expand beyond that mold when it no longer serves your purposes.

7

Be honest. You don't know everything; that much is a given. Instead of wasting energy trying to hide that very obvious and undeniable fact, you should be honest about the things you do and don't know. Only by admitting to your weaknesses can you find the resources to overcome them and become great.

• Being honest with others about your own shortcomings and imperfections can be a very vulnerable sensation, so many people choose to avoid it on instinct. Honesty and vulnerability are essential components of open-mindedness, however, and it takes an open mind to see the full range of possibilities and pursue the best option.