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Imagine if you were the best at what you do. If you were the best at what you do, how would your life change? How would the lives of others be impacted? How would you feel about yourself? Would you have more control of your life? Would you feel a greater sense of satisfaction?
Want the Best
The fact is you can be your best at whatever you do, and getting there doesn’t require a degree in rocket science. It does, however, require that becoming the best at what you do is important to you.
As I pointed out in Was Napoleon Hill Wrong? success does not begin with desire. I have seen thousands of people who claim to have the desire to achieve something, but yet they won’t do what is required to succeed. Success begins by identifying the things that are important to you. If achieving something is not important, you won’t do what is required to succeed.
The strategy I will describe in this lesson is something I apply to everything I do. I have been using it for so long and seen its results proven 100% of the time that it now is a part of my everyday thought process.
Identify the Little Things You Should Do
If you want to get better at what you do—whether you are a full-time mom, an avid golfer, or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company—you must first identify the little things that, if done correctly, will allow you to perform at a higher level.
A couple years ago I took golf lessons at IMG Golf Academy. This is one of the highest ranked golf schools in the country producing some of the world’s greatest golfers. In each of my lessons my instructor videotaped my swings, recording everything from driving the ball off the tee to putting it on the green.
During each lesson we sat down and watched these videos and compared my swing to the world’s top ranked golfers. We looked at every intricate detail of my golf swing and talked about the refinements I needed to work on. Week after week we compared my swings to the previous week’s swings. This served as a measurement, allowing me to see the progress I was making.
In addition we compared my swings to the pros, so I could see the tweaks I needed to make to take my game to the next level.
This way of thinking is not just limited to the golfing world. It is what all the world’s greatest athletes do. With all the advancements in technology, it is no longer a mystery as to how to be great at any sport.
Applying this same way of thinking, I have been able to identify the little things required to be my best at whatever it is that is important to me.
Master the Fundamentals
Just as professional athletes master the fundamentals of their sports, so do the world’s top performers in everything from music to business. The people who are the best of the best—the top 1% of 1%—are simply those who worked the hardest at mastering the littlest of things.
As a Realtor I focused on mastering the little things required to being a successful Realtor. Day after day, week after week, and year after year, I continued to refine everything I did from the scripts I used when making cold calls to the time of day I called. After four years of making DAILY refinements, I had so perfected my craft that I reached the top 1% of 1% or 1/100 of 1% of all the Realtors in the Nation.
I then applied this same way of thinking to my career in Direct Sales and once again reached the top 1% of 1% of all the people who start a Direct Sales business.
Now that I am applying myself to my daily blog posts and podcasts, you can bet that I will continue to refine the little things that will allow me to achieve my personal best.
Follow Three Steps
Here’s the bottom line. If you want to be great at something that is important to you, then you must do three things.
1. Break down the things you need to do into the smallest of components.
2. Master each component, individually.
3. Measure your progress.
What is it that is important to you? If you want to be a great mom, discover the little things that great moms do, and then work on those things each day. If you want to reach the top of your career, then identify the little things the top performers in your field do and then strive to master them.
As you strive for excellence to do your best, make sure you are measuring your progress. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. As you see yourself making progress Become Your Greatest Fan and be sure to recognize yourself for even the smallest accomplishment.
To be the best at what you do, you must push and stretch yourself to do what others are unwilling to do. The best of the best are the best for a reason.
About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 30 years and founder of Little Things Matter. To receive Todd’s daily lessons, subscribe here. All Todd’s lessons are also available on iTunes as downloadable podcasts. (Todd’s podcasts are ranked #27 in America’s top 100 podcasts and #1 in the personal and development field.)
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As a dynamic entrepreneur for 30 years, Todd Smith has enjoyed professional success, ranking him in the top 1/100 of 1 percent of the people in his chosen fields. His podcasts are the # 1 most subscribed to podcasts in personal and professional development field (exclusive of iTunes). More than 200,000 of his blog posts are read each month.