The Biggest Movie Star in The World
This video was sent to me recently. It shows pretty much a highlight reel of Will Smith’s best quotes and the way he lives his life. I admire the guy immensely and his drive is something I hope to emulate in my own life, as would anybody hoping to achieve their goals.
Enjoy the video and you might want to take notes. It’s that GOOD.
Case Study: The Work Ethic Of Lil Wayne
The guy is one of the most successful rappers in the world, in a time when people just aren’t buying music like they used to. How does he do it? How does he connect with his audience? More importantly, what you can take away from these videos is the part about how Lil Wayne makes his product as great as it is. His work ethic has taken him from a young up and coming artist to a prodigy in a business where acts come and go daily.
Lil Wayne has been rapping since long before he was a teenager and had his first album released at age 12. His first real commercial success was at around age 16 and he’s now in his mid-20′s, and considering that he’s probably what many would consider as the hottest artist out right now it seems very applicable that the Gladwell rule of 10,000 hours of practice is in effect and he’s producing his best work now.
My favorite quote from the interview with Katie Couric is when he talks about not trying to make something “good” but rather just focusing on the hard work and letting the good results come to him. How can you improve your work ethic for your dream or career path?
Seek Out Mentors
It’s absolutely essential to find somebody who is good at the skill you want to improve and model their methods and use what helps you. By continually finding new mentors in different areas in your life, befriending them, and picking their brain you will ensure a steady stream of personal growth and improvement in whatever you set your mind to doing.
1. Find an expert in your field and offer to buy them lunch. Do make friends with this person.
2. If you can’t find somebody right away, don’t worry. Read books, watch videos, go through home study courses. Seek out the answers and the understanding that you desire for your skill set. But continue to find those that are better than you at what you do.
3. Once you have found a mentor, use that resource wisely and get as much help and advice as you can. This could be a lifelong friend so treat them that way. They will only help you that much more and root for your success.
4. After you have learned all you can from one mentor, find another and repeat the process.
5. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
6. Don’t forget to pay back the favor. Do this enough times and you will be the expert. Somebody will come to you for friendship and mentoring one day. Hone your craft even further by teaching it. You will still learn as much if not more by teaching than you will by learning on your own.
I can’t always meet in person the mentors I want, but I have been very fortunate to meet many great ones. With the media resources available nowadays with books, courses, and the internet there is really no reason not to find an expert and study their skills for your own benefit from a distance at the very least. An important realization though is that you can only do so much by reading or watching. This is another advantage to having a personal mentor: to be guided through practical application of a skill by an expert.
Go network and find the mentors that will carry you to the next level in your life. 
The Importance of Practice
What skills are you trying to develop, maintain, or strengthen to reach your goals this year? I’ve written about it before but practice is definitely a factor to think about when you are doing your personal development planning for the coming months.
You don’t have to practice for hours and hours per day but you should consider how much time you want to spend each day, week, and month when it comes to the acquisition of a new skill or strengthening of an old one. Malcolm Gladwell says that it typically takes about 10,000 hours to become a master of a given skill. This averages out to about 3 hours a day for 10 years. Now you don’t necessarily have to become a master. Plenty of people get by with just novice to good skill level. Heck, you can see people every day who get PAID for that type of skill. But for the area of your life you are working on, you need to give yourself some tough love and ask “How good in this area of my life do I need to be for it to be ‘good enough’ for me?”
Once you have determined what you can live with, it’s time to develop a plan:
1. Carve out an amount of time daily, weekly, or monthly to practice. It doesn’t matter how often because you’ve established how good you are okay with being. You just need to get the time in your day to do it with enthusiasm and energy. I regularly listen to business and success CD’s in my car on the drive to and from work and many times in between because I know I’ll have good chunks of uninterrupted time to learn and benefit from.
2. Be consistent. Once you’ve established your schedule, stick to it. Many people get started and fizzle out quickly. Reminding yourself of your goals and the desired outcome behind achieving those goals can be a great motivator. Set good habits early on and it will be second nature later. You don’t have to always show up, just show up more than not.
3. Put yourself in the company of those on a similar path. Is there a group or meeting in your area that has people who are interested in achieving an outcome or attaining a skill that you want? It may very well be worth it to join these groups and meet the people. It helps with your motivation as well as serves as a great resource when you get stuck.
4. Don’t just learn, but implement as well. This has been my biggest sticking point when I try to learn new skills and I know others have had the same problem. You get the book, or the home study course, or watch video about what you want to know. You go through the whole thing. Then you do nothing. Sometimes the validation of making it through a course can leave you feeling like you know the skill and you don’t feel the need to go further. Don’t cheat yourself. There is nothing like a good regular practical application of your skills to keep you sharp and make you better. Sitting back and reading will not get you anywhere. Take action!
Practice is one of those things that everybody realizes will help them but so many people overlook. Stay on the path this year. Make regular time in your schedule for practice!
