Think back to when you were in school. Do you remember loving some classes but hating others? I do. There were classes I really enjoyed, and there were some I strongly disliked. Can you guess in which classes I performed the best? I did well in the classes I enjoyed. No kidding, right? Why is that? Did I lack the intelligence to do well in those other subjects? Nope, that wasn’t it. So where did I go wrong? It was my perception.
I did not do well in the classes I hated because they did not appeal to me. Because they did not appeal to me I did not apply myself. My thinking was that, since the classes did not seem to have any application to my life, they were useless and offered me nothing. My performance reflected my attitude.
Years would pass before I would learn the lesson life tried to teach me in those days.
You see, I had dreams, things I wanted to do with my life, and a person I wanted to become. I became a mechanic, a construction worker, salesman and a dozen other things. I was white collar and I was blue collar, often switching back and forth. Every occupation was a worthy and honorable endeavor. BUT- none of those things were what I wanted to do or be. In other words, they did not appeal to me and I did not apply myself. Therefore, my performance in those occupations was always less than what it could have been. Sound familiar? Just like when I was in school.
Even more years would pass before I finally began to see my dream unfold. It took me much longer than it should have because I did not embrace an important lesson. I am going to share with you that lesson and I hope you embrace it quicker than I did. First, let me say this. Today, I am very good at many things and I have acquired a wide range of skills across a broad spectrum. Before you think I am tooting my own horn, know this: The reason I am good at many things and have acquired a broad range of skills isn’t because of superior intelligence, and it is not because I was afforded special privileges growing up. It is because of each and every one of those occupations that, at the time, I felt was unimportant. Because of the variety of experiences each of those jobs gave to me, I had to learn things that I would not have learned otherwise. Here’s the lesson:
Be motivated to do your very best in every situation. Your parenting, your business, the work you perform for your employer and even relationships. Why? Because when you begin to accept that it is okay to put out half-assed effort, and get comfortable with mediocrity in one area of your life, it will spread like a disease into every area of your life.
I used to tell people that settling for being mediocre would mean their life would not change, but I was wrong. It will change because it will get progressively worse. Everything you do, every day you do it, is preparing you. It is all training that you will need to realize your dream. I could list for you something about every job I ever had that is now helping me to realize my dreams.
What about you? Do you hate your job? Do you feel like you are way off course from the path that leads to your dream? Change your perception. You are acquiring skills and experiences that you will need. You are not off “the path” because there is only one path. It is called your life.
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