The Secret To Becoming A Champion In Your Field: Create The Mindset Of A Champion
The Mindset of a Winner: How To Think Like a Champion
“We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.” – Max DePree
At a supermarket close to my home, there is a man working as a customer assistant and a home delivery guy.
For over 30 years, he has been working there doing the exact same thing!
Does this mean that he deserves to earn more money? or that he is an excellent achiever?
Of course not, he is just doing a certain task over and over again.
In Bounce, Matthew Syed reveals something that is truly amazing. He is explaining why having years of experience is not enough to become a champion in any given field.
In the case of the supermarket guy, his years of experience do not really matter.
Years of experience alone only enable you to do certain tasks on autopilot. But they never guarantee that you become a champion.
It’s like the experience you gained from years of driving your car. It doesn’t qualify you to win a car racing championship! You have just gained an accumulated experience that allows you to drive on autopilot.
Also look at the corporate world, you’ll find many people doing the exact same job for years without any significant progress in their personal or professional lives. What is even more surprising is that people think that they deserve to earn more, just because they have been occupying a certain position long enough.
So, when does experience really matter?
Experience matters only when it is combined with commitment to progress and continuous improvement. That’s Matthew Syed’s valid argument in his book, Bounce.
Accordingly, you should always set goals that are far beyond your current abilities and strive to stretch yourself to reach new limits.
It’s the progressive practice and experience that improve your skills and performance and make you a champion in your field.
The key lesson here is…
Don’t Settle!
“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.” – Pat Riley
Always work to improve yourself and get better at what you do.
If you follow this advice, one day you will unexpectedly be called a champion.
The kind of practice that makes you perfect is the one that follows the Kaizen principle – that’s the principle of never ending improvement.
Mix your years of experience with eagerness for continuous improvement, because that’s how champions are made!
So, what are you going to improve today?
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