Like most people, I get excited about things that are "new
and improved." Anything that is bigger, faster, better and
cheaper, gets my attention. I love new technology! But,
while it can be great fun, it can also be a path to
failure.
Recently, I spoke with the owner of a martial arts training
center who has achieved financial success by providing
classes for people who want to learn self-defense in a
short amount of time. He loves his success, but has also
discovered a level of sadness in it.
He said that "in the old days," students spent many years
mastering a small number of basic throws, punches and
blocks, practicing them many thousands of times, until they
became a type of mediation and the repeated practice
created a sense of inner peace. He told me that attaining
the honor of a "black belt" was traditionally based on
mastering only 5 basic movements.
Today, students want a 6-week course. They want to learn as
many different kicks, throws and punches as possible, earn
a degree in self-defense, and move on to the next big
thing. In the old days, karate masters learned to avoid
conflict and walk away from violence. Unfortunately,
today's students, confident in their new skills, sometimes
get into fights that could have been avoided. Too often,
they get hurt.
The distinction is between success that comes quickly and
easily, and another kind of success that requires patience,
persistence, discipline and effort. They are different
things, and should not be confused.
It is easy to get caught up and be impressed by those who
achieve early success. It is exciting to see athletes,
actors and entrepreneurs become famous, win awards, and
build large companies in their 20's and 30's. I celebrate
that this is possible. It is a good thing.
But, it is not the same thing as "mastery."
In her book, "The Writing Life", Annie Dillard talks about
spending hours over a single sentence, wrestling with a
paragraph or a page, only to tear it up and throw it away,
rescuing a single phrase at the end of the day. She is
talking about a different experience than the writers who
crank out pulp novels in 30 days, or produce controversial
biographies in 6 months.
Some things take time. And work, repetition, persistence
and mastery.
As a success coach, my job is to help individuals achieve
peak performance and reach their goals quickly, with less
frustration and less wasted effort. I love helping clients
cut through the clutter, eliminate distractions, and create
the life they truly want, doing it as quickly as possible.
It's exciting stuff!
But sometimes, the greatest success in life is invisible.
I'm talking about the inner discoveries, the quiet
insights, the joy of living a life of one's own.
There is a critical distinction between having more stuff,
and living well. There is a distinction between giving our
children more toys, and giving them more of our ourselves.
There is a distinction between going faster, and savoring
the journey. There is a distinction between making more
money, and having more joy.
There are wines that ought to be drunk soon after they are
bottled. But there are also wines that require time to
mature and to achieve a level of greatness. They sit in
cool, dark cellars. They gather dust, and to the casual
observer, it appears nothing much is happening. But to the
connoisseur, they are precious and can not be rushed.
and improved." Anything that is bigger, faster, better and
cheaper, gets my attention. I love new technology! But,
while it can be great fun, it can also be a path to
failure.
Recently, I spoke with the owner of a martial arts training
center who has achieved financial success by providing
classes for people who want to learn self-defense in a
short amount of time. He loves his success, but has also
discovered a level of sadness in it.
He said that "in the old days," students spent many years
mastering a small number of basic throws, punches and
blocks, practicing them many thousands of times, until they
became a type of mediation and the repeated practice
created a sense of inner peace. He told me that attaining
the honor of a "black belt" was traditionally based on
mastering only 5 basic movements.
Today, students want a 6-week course. They want to learn as
many different kicks, throws and punches as possible, earn
a degree in self-defense, and move on to the next big
thing. In the old days, karate masters learned to avoid
conflict and walk away from violence. Unfortunately,
today's students, confident in their new skills, sometimes
get into fights that could have been avoided. Too often,
they get hurt.
The distinction is between success that comes quickly and
easily, and another kind of success that requires patience,
persistence, discipline and effort. They are different
things, and should not be confused.
It is easy to get caught up and be impressed by those who
achieve early success. It is exciting to see athletes,
actors and entrepreneurs become famous, win awards, and
build large companies in their 20's and 30's. I celebrate
that this is possible. It is a good thing.
But, it is not the same thing as "mastery."
In her book, "The Writing Life", Annie Dillard talks about
spending hours over a single sentence, wrestling with a
paragraph or a page, only to tear it up and throw it away,
rescuing a single phrase at the end of the day. She is
talking about a different experience than the writers who
crank out pulp novels in 30 days, or produce controversial
biographies in 6 months.
Some things take time. And work, repetition, persistence
and mastery.
As a success coach, my job is to help individuals achieve
peak performance and reach their goals quickly, with less
frustration and less wasted effort. I love helping clients
cut through the clutter, eliminate distractions, and create
the life they truly want, doing it as quickly as possible.
It's exciting stuff!
But sometimes, the greatest success in life is invisible.
I'm talking about the inner discoveries, the quiet
insights, the joy of living a life of one's own.
There is a critical distinction between having more stuff,
and living well. There is a distinction between giving our
children more toys, and giving them more of our ourselves.
There is a distinction between going faster, and savoring
the journey. There is a distinction between making more
money, and having more joy.
There are wines that ought to be drunk soon after they are
bottled. But there are also wines that require time to
mature and to achieve a level of greatness. They sit in
cool, dark cellars. They gather dust, and to the casual
observer, it appears nothing much is happening. But to the
connoisseur, they are precious and can not be rushed.
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