The amount of effort required to achieve ever greater mastery, whether it be a skill, sport, intellectual endeavor, or life itself, seems to follow an exponential (power) curve. At first, great progress can be made with little increase in perceived effort. Each step forward seems to require a similar amount of effort as the previous step. That is until we start to become good…
With each step from good to great, it starts to take a perceivably greater amount of effort (and time). And this is where most stop. The increase in level of mastery becomes almost imperceptible, even though we seem to be applying the same amount of effort as we had done in the past. Frustration sets in and suddenly it’s time to find something new to master.
For those few that stick with it, over time, and with ever-increasing levels of effort, they can go from good to great. And fewer still, from great to outstanding.
Yet, the interesting thing is, that to go from outstanding to being truly legendary is nigh on impossible if you simply try to apply greater levels of effort. There’s just not enough hours in the day or years in a lifetime.
No, sometimes the way forward is less about doing and more about being…now there’s a thought.