Here is the way to get really, really good at something

So many people wanna be good at something, or are envious of those they think are talented.

They see others amazing works and think that it's this super complicated process to get to that point, or that you just gotta be born with it. That they could never do it, or that it's just too hard. And if that's you, please stop reading this article right now because you first gotta change your mindset before you do anything else.

YOU CAN DO IT.
YOU CAN BE AS GREAT AS THE PEOPLE YOU ADMIRE.
YOU CAN BE THAT PERSON OTHERS ADMIRE.

It is not impossible.

All it takes is 3 simple steps.

Yep. Three simple steps.

All you have to do is follow them.

Are you ready for them?

STEP 1:

Just do it

Nike said it best with their simple catch-line. It's made them billions upon billions of dollars. And you want to know why? It's not the marketing. It's not the hip and trendy products. It's because what they said is true. Just do it.

People who climbed Mt. Everest didn't start at the top. They started at the bottom. No, they started a long time before that. Training, planning, prepping. But, it actually started even before all that.

They started that whole journey with a single thought.

I want to climb Mt. Everest.

Six simple words strung together.

People think thoughts like that all the time.

But, that's where they stop. They don't do anything. Well, maybe some try stuff for a little while, but then give up. They don't DO. And when I say DO, I really mean it. You need to DO and DO and DO and DO and DO, and never stop. Even the people who reach the top of Mt. Everest, their minds are already on the next DO.

It's non-stop, never-ending, until the day you die. It's a commitment that if you want to achieve the things the people you look up to do, you need to make. It's tough. It's grueling. There will be so many moments where all you want to do is give up. To sit in a corner, crying. Railing at the world, screaming, 'why!?'

A bit dramatic, I know, but that's because the goals I've set for myself are that high. And anyone who's achieved any sort of success knows that feeling.

If you want to be like the people you admire

You need to DO. And keep DOING whatever it is that you admire. So many give up so quickly because they don't think they're progressing fast enough. A week, a month, 6 months, 6 years... and if they aren't where they thought they'd be, they give up and move on to the next thing. If you want to be great at something, do you really think there can be a label like, 'enough?'

I've used a lot of, 'you's' so far in this post. And I'm only on the first point. I want to say that all of this applies to me too. More so to me, because I'm actually writing this for myself as a reminder. What does it take to succeed at the things I want to do, might have been a better post title. But I also want other people to read this, like you ;)

So, let me emphasize again...if you want to be great at anything, you need to DO IT. And DO IT a lot. Almost to the level that could be considered obsessive. And I say that because there are literally millions of people who want the same thing, who are all fighting for the same piece of cake, and if you want a taste, you gotta be better than all the rest. That takes a lot of DOING.

But, that's not all...

STEP 2:

Find people who say that you're not good

Wait, what? Why would you seek out people who don't think you're good? I mean, shouldn't we always be seeking out warm fuzzies so that we're always encouraged, always energized, and 'know' we're on the right path?

Bullshit.

You need those people to remind you that you're not good enough. Because, most likely, you're not. It's the hard truth of this world that social media keeps hiding. Not everyone is good enough for everything. These are the people who will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.

Seek out critics

The people who will look at your work and tell you what's wrong, what needs to get better, and what you should do. If you're truly on the path to becoming great in what you're passionate about, and you're committed 110% to it, the person sitting across the 'table' from you will sense it and try and help you. It's a weird thing, but true. I've sought out and communicated with famous photographers, asked them to tear my work a new asshole, and they did. Let me tell you, wow did it sting. Wind taken out of my sails, my work seemed a lot less pretty, but, BUT, I now knew what needed to be fixed, improved, so that I could move forward. And when I say, critic, I mean the people who know what the hell is going on, not just some random person.

Cast off the desire to have people like what you're doing. Most people have no idea anyways, so why would you listen to them? For every 'like' you get on Facebook or Instagram for something you think is good, there's someone who's better just chuckling. Social media has turned so many things into a circle-jerk spiral heading downwards. And it doesn't do people any good.

It's a brutal process.

DOING and DOING and DOING, then seeking out people to tear your work apart, so that you can go back to DOING and DOING and DOING. Who would ever want to do something like that? Well, if you want to be as great as the people you look up to and admire. Guess what...that's what you gotta do.

STEP 3:

Apply what you learned

So, after you've been DOING and DOING and DOING, and just had your confidence crushed by someone telling you what you messed up and could do better, it's time to get back to DOING. Seems like an endless cycle, right? Well, it is. The people who are most successful are ALWAYS, and I mean, ALWAYS, going through this process.

They DO, get feedback, APPLY, then get back to DOING.

Somewhere along the line, things might finally click. Clicking has so many definitions. You have to decide what the goal of all this work is. I can't do that for you. But, if you follow this simple three step process, it will happen. If you half-ass it, guess what the results are going to be?

But, I actually lied.

What? Lied?

Yes, lied.

There's another step.

STEP 4:

Consume

You mean like eat? Well, sort of. You need to consume everything related to what you want to do. You need to eat, sleep, breath, live what you want to do. You need to be so deep into it that no one will question what you're doing because you're the person DOING that thing. YOU will be the one they look at for advice about that thing.

Read, watch, listen

Thanks to the Internet there are so many resources as to make someone go insane with the amount of information. It's daunting in the beginning. The whole world at your fingertips..

So where do you start?

My opinion, start by Googling something. Even if it's just a single word. That first step, will lead you to another, which will lead you to another. Like breadcrumbs, you'll get to what you need to see if you look long enough. And, along the way, you'll be learning what you need to get better at that thing.

To bring it all together, you can become a master at something in 3, wait, 4 easy steps.

1. Just do it!
2. Seek criticism
3. Apply what you learned
4. Consume

Do that over, and over, and over, and over...well, you get the idea. YOU, and only YOU, can do it. And in order to achieve the level you admire YOU have to commit to DOING to this kind of level. YOU have do decide at your core that this is what you want.

If you're not sure. Take an hour with some paper and a pen.Write out things that you want to do. What you admire in others that you want for yourself. This is not a bucket list kind of thing. This is trying to figure out what you want to do. Be 100% honest with yourself. You can't hide from the truths inside your own head. And, importantly, keep your phone our of sight and out of mind. It's an addiction factory to all the things that will hinder you from actually becoming great. It will boost you up for all the wrong reasons and drag you down every moment in between.

I hope this article helped you figure out how to become great at something.

It's advice that has been given over and over again. But, sometimes it's nice to hear it again. That's why I decided to write about it this morning. As a reminder to myself that I need to follow those same steps. In the last couple months I've dropped hundreds of thousands of words on this site, and my writing (IMHO) has gotten a bit better. But, in the rush to push words, I've forgotten the second step. The one that could help what I do the most. So that will be my goal today, to reinstitute it. So that I can follow the route to success that so many others have.

Have an amazing day and best of luck with whatever dream it is you wish to achieve :)
Michael