Mental mastery #3 – Rigorous vs. superficial: Obsessive attention to detail

The best artists, entrepreneurs, chefs, and even cashiers and store clerks are not superficial people. Look at the best people in any field and you’ll see that when they do their work, they don’t do it quickly and lightly. When they study, they don’t just skim through a book. If you really look at these people, you’ll see that they set themselves apart from others even when building relationships. Friendships with them are very deep. Rigor, depth, commitment, obsession, devotion—all of this wins.
 
So in every single thing you do, whether building a relationship, starting your dream career, or exploring an idea, develop an acute attention to detail and go really, really deep. The reason you want to do this is that we live in a world where people work in mediocre ways to just get the job done, to just get by, to just survive, to just…you know. You can fill in the blanks. Be the special, unique person who has the discipline and insight to go deep and be thorough in everything you do in a day.
 
Take a minute and ask yourself, in what areas of your life do you show thorough and obsessive attention to detail and commitment and put your heart into everything you do? Then ask yourself, in what areas of your life are you not disciplined and only giving a superficial approach? These questions have been eye opening for me. I try to accomplish so many things that I end up doing many of them superficially. So where has this helped me? Instead of doing any and everything, I’ve shifted my focus to becoming exceptional in a few areas and passing off to others the tasks that take away from what I truly love to do.

Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on "Facebook Jail," an issue that has been affecting myself and many of my fellow authors over the last several months.  Due to various changes at Facebook that penalize an author for posting instead of purchasing ads, unfortunately messages from fans are often hidden and many times are unable to be viewed.  Please know that I greatly value all communication from my fans, I would never intentionally ignore a message, and I am working hard to find the best ways to hear from you and to have you hear from me.  As always, thank you so much for your support and patience--I am truly grateful for all of you!  

COMING SOON

They share a son, but Katie and Steven have moved on with their lives, dating other people, and neither has seen the other in five long years. But when Steven comes knocking on Katie’s parents’ door after learning she’s back in town, Katie is forced to face her estranged husband and the love that broke her heart, and his intentions regarding their all-but-over marriage are soon made very clear.
 
The only problem is that as simple as it would be for them to walk away, seeing just what it means to move on and start a new life may not be as easy as they once thought.

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I’m back with the second mental mastery tactic, which is being strategic instead of being reactive. If you look at a lot of people around you, friends, family members, even acquaintances, you may start to notice that they live their lives reactively, just trying to get through the day, or maybe this is even how you’ve been living. The victim tries to get through the day, whereas the A player, that successful person who’s rocking this world, focuses more on a higher ambition, a higher vision, instead of being reactive and not having a plan. Victims are the ones who  respond to events as they get hit with them during the day, as crises land at their feet or show up in their inboxes or voicemails.

To avoid this, instead use the routines you already know, such as the five a.m. club, for example. Remember the strategy I wrote about way back when, the one with the 20/20/20 winning formula all the A-game players employ? Well, it starts with taking a few minutes and asking yourself, “What needs to happen today for this to be a great day?” The final part of the 20/20/20 formula involves taking a few minutes and writing down the answer to that question along with your five reminders of what you need to complete that day. Put it on your phone or your fridge or wherever you’ll see it so it keeps you locked on to what you want to achieve.

This leads to the power of goals! Remember, vague plans lead to vague results The A players, those truly successful people, all have plans. They think things through and don’t leave things to reactivity or chance. You don’t get lucky; you make luck. When you see someone successful and find yourself thinking that person must have had a lucky break, that he or she must have been in the right place at the right time, must have the right background, education, knowledge, opportunities…if you’re thinking any of that or about how you’ve had a tough time and no breaks, remember that you make your own luck. What the victim understands as being fortunate, the leader understands as hard work. So don’t be reactive, be strategic. Write your plans in a journal, think things through, and set your goals. Once again, don’t react. Be much more strategic.

So ask yourself now, “What needs to happen today for this to be a great day?”

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