LensqAll of us aim to become better at whatever we are doing. How do we know we are becoming the best possible with our efforts towards it?
Consistent efforts:
If something was too easy to get, it is below what you are capable of achieving. If something worthy was earned easily, you are going to lose it also easily. The thing which is going to last forever is what is earned with efforts. A rock does not become a soil in a day. It takes millions of years to become the fine soil with weathering. Nor can you become the best on the day you start. It requires consistent efforts. The compounded daily practice reaps the best out of your efforts. If there is no consistency in the practice, it takes a lot of time to renew the pace and efforts. So, work on it every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. I haven’t written the best article on the day I started writing. But I have been getting better as I write. I write at least 300 words every day. It helps me improve my writing skills. I didn’t know French at all a few months back. I have been taking a lesson each day and now Duolingo shows that I am 15% fluent in French. To become the best in whatever you do, you need consistent efforts.
Don’t give conscious instructions to yourself:
It is good to have targets. But stressing yourself and concentrating too much on getting it right, is bad. It will give the opposite results. In the book, Inner game of tennis, the author mentions that we make mistakes because we are being hard on ourselves to be perfect. We already know how to be the best but since we are stressing ourselves to be that we make mistakes. I discover unique ways to teach when I go with a free mind. On the days, I want to teach in the best way possible, I stammer and make silly mistakes.
Being in the flow:
For the task you are executing today, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10. Let’s say you are at level 5. Tomorrow when you are doing the same task, if you are trying to perform to reach level 7, you will give up unable to cope with it. If you still do level 5 only, you already did that yesterday. You should be doing level 5.1 tomorrow to become better than today. That is a little challenging and also pushes you to the next level.
Mastering the not so obvious stuff:
Becoming better is easy. The initial learning curve is exponential. Once you become better, to become the best, it requires you to master what is not so obvious. If you are preparing for an exam, you might know the entire syllabus thoroughly. But the one who tops the exam is the one who knows how to present the content, how to concentrate in the exam hall amidst the outside noise, how to keep his mind calm when the question is twisted. The small things which the person with better skills can’t notice and what the best one notices, makes all the difference.
Reviewing:
Everyone works. But the one who reviews his work and can be a self-critic becomes better. Not everyone succeeds the first time. But the one who reviews his failure has higher chances to move faster. Writing an article is easy. But reviewing it is tough. I can become the best only when I review it thoroughly.
Measuring:
A measure is needed for whatever you do. When you measure you know the speed of progress. You can increase it only when you know where you are lagging behind. Have daily, weekly and monthly targets based on your measure. You are definitely becoming the best.
What are you waiting for? Go ahead, implement the tips, and become the best.
Happy becoming the best !