- Take Yourself to the Top!
- By Chris Widener
Everybody wants to get to the
top, whether it is the top of a career, a company, the earnings
scale, or the many other ways that we as individuals can define
the "top" in our own lives! But with so many people
trying to get to the top, how come so many people aren't moving
up? I think there are some fundamental reasons why. Reasons that
can be addressed and changed! What are some things you can do
to get to the top? Here are some thoughts for you this week!
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First of all, define what the
"top" means for you. This is extremely important because
if you don't know where you are going, you will never get there!
Some people don't want to be the CEO of the company. In fact,
many think they are better off then the CEO even though they
don't make as much money. Instead, they think they are at the
top because of less stress, weekends with their families, etc,
and I see their point. It doesn't matter what others think is
the top, only what you do, since you are only gauging whether
or not YOU get there! So where is it for you? That is the first
question for you to answer.
Be passionate about your goal.
Passion is the energy that drives us, or, as Alexander Pope said,
passions are the "gales of life." Passion is the wind
in the sales of work. Find some thing you love and you will find
something you can get to the top of. If you don't love it, you
may still make it to the top, though highly unlikely. And even
if you do, there will be no joy. Let your passion carry you,
because it will carry you far! Thomas Fuller put it this way:
A man with passion rides a horse that runs away with him. |
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The will to continue in the face
of hardship. Another reason most will not get to the top is because
they simply refuse to scale the mountains of hardship that separate
them from the top. If you want to get to the beautiful view from
the top, you will have to climb over any obstacles. Instead,
many choose to stay at base camp! One would think that Bjorn
Borg, one of the greatest tennis players to ever live, would
consider his skill his greatest asset. Instead, this is what
he says, "My greatest point is my persistence. I never give
up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball.
My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called
irretrievable defeats into victories." Continue until you
get to the top!
Love people and treat them right.
What? Love people? That's right! Why? Because if you are going
to get to the top, you are going to need other people. Be a jerk
and you will find people dragging their feet on you. Treat them
right and you will find them helping you and even cheering you
on!
Master the appropriate skills.
Average skills will get you to the middle. Top skills will get
you to the TOP! This is most assuredly true when combined with
the points above. Are you achieving excellence in the skills
you need? Are you growing day by day, month by month, year by
year? You can always get better and getting better will take
you closer to the top! Even if you only improve a little, you
can keep improving that small amount and it will eventually become
a big amount! Demand the best from yourself and you will get
to the top. Remember the words of Jose Ortega y Gasset: "We
distinguish the excellent man from the common man by saying that
the former is the one who makes great demands on himself, and
the latter who makes no demands on himself."
- Define the Top
- Be Passionate
- Persevere
- Love others
- Skill Mastery!
These will take you to the top! |
