Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Achieving greatness is a difficult concept to define. The question of what makes a great human being is mostly personal, and each person's perceptions are different. Still, there are practical ways to get started on the path to reaching your dreams and goals, just as Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ".

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Laying the groundwork for great achievements

1. 

   Determine your big goal. "To become outstanding" is a difficult concept to define, requiring you to choose something very specific to strive for. Think about your strengths and areas that you need to work on, then define a goal that fits your personality. Research shows that achieving your goal is most effective if you do what you want and are willing to work hard to accomplish it.
   • Maybe you are determined to be a great author writing literary masterpieces, or an investigative reporter exposing the deepest aspects of the human soul. Or you can decide to make a difference and get involved in politics or become an activist.
   • First, you can write down the goals you've always dreamed of. You do not need to worry about the specificity or the feasibility of your goals. That will come soon! Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher and well-known author, once said: “If you have built castles in the air, your work is not in vain; they were in their right places. And now, put the foundation below. ”
   • In his opening speech at Stanford University, inventor and businessman Steve Jobs said that every morning he woke up asking himself, "If today was the last day of my life, would I want to What am I going to do today? " If the answer is "No", he will change jobs. Perhaps this is also a good question for you to ask yourself.

2. 

   
   
   Correctly identify the problem. Now that you have a list of the great things you want to achieve, you need to be clear about the accomplishment of those goals so you don't get overwhelmed. The feeling of not being able to reach your goals is easy for you, especially in the very beginning. Set goals as you should strive towards instead of what you are trying to give up. You are more likely to complete your goal if it's a positive thing!
   • Viktor Frankl, who survived the Nazi concentration camp, said that he survived by the freedom to "choose the attitude of life in all circumstances, choose his own way of life". By not letting the Nazis take away his freedom of choice, Frankl was able to turn a seemingly impossible situation into one in which he could control himself - which he believed helped him live. omitted.
   • Outstanding theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with unilateral atrophic sclerosis - a form of motor neuron disease - when he was just 21 years old. The amount is less than two years alive. Instead of giving up, Hawking said that there were two things that inspired him to work harder: knowing that there are people in worse situations than that, and knowing that he may have only time left. very little to accomplish his goals.

3. 

   
   
   Make your goal specific. Once you've defined your goals in a positive way, you need to make sure that you are able to achieve them. The best way to do this is to make your goals as specific as possible. Setting a specific goal will help you not only get what you want, but also make you happier overall!
   • Example: Imagine that one of your goals is to "become Batman". Instead of telling yourself, "Batman is not real so I can't be him", ask yourself what you can do to like Batman. Concretely define what qualities of Batman you want to follow and set goals to work towards those values.
   • Some options include: dressing up like Batman and reaching out to pediatric cancer patients. Help those in need by donating money and / or joining the charity kitchen. Become a police officer (you will wear your uniform, and hopefully you will keep the streets clean of crime).

4. 

   
   
   Have a positive mindset. The visualization method can help you achieve great results. Studies show that imagination can be effective in sports and academia. Imagination has helped many athletes (like Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods) win boxing matches, races, even golf tournaments. There are two basic types of imagination, imagine the results and imagine the process. You should use the two in combination for best results:
   • Outcome visualization is the process of visualizing that you are reaching your desired goal. This type of visualization needs to be as detailed as possible and must use all senses: imagine who is with you as you reach your goal, the scent and sound of the scene, what you wear, where You are standing. You can even draw a picture or details of the scene to aid in this visualization.
   • Process visualization involves visualizing every step you need to take to reach your goal. Think about each action step that led to the accomplishment of your lofty goal. For example, if you want to be "Batman (which serves children in a hospital)", you can think about every step you need to do: find outfits, contact hospitals, train your voice to look like Batman, etc ...

5. 

   Take active action. While very effective, positive visualization needs to be accompanied by positive action. You need to actively work towards the goals you set, instead of just enjoying your imaginary achievements. This is where the visualization pays off: it is easier to accomplish your goal in real life once you have visualized each step to take.
   • If you want to be a writer, hold a pen every day, even if it's just a paragraph.Join a writing group, take names to take a few writing classes at a community cultural center, take part in contests and give your writing to everyone to read. Ask all of your friends for suggestions. And, as well as world-renowned writer Stephen King, still reminds us to be active even in times of hardship: “Stopping a job just because it's difficult is a bad idea, even if it belongs. feeling or imagination ”.
   • If you want to be a person of great kindness, start small. If you don't have a lot of money, you can spend your time with the charitable kitchens or local charities. Teaching languages ​​or tutoring children in difficult circumstances. You don't have to take great action to end global hunger. Just by helping to change one's life, you can also kick in a positive domino effect.

6. 

   
   
   Look for other people's success stories. You will need to find out what helps others to succeed on their chosen path, especially those who are doing what you are aiming for. There are often similarities throughout such stories.
   • Athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, was originally from a family of 10 siblings. He discovered a passion for running early and often practiced before school because he had to work after school. Owens had suffered fierce racism on the run both in the US and in Germany, but completely dismantled the propaganda of the "superior Aryan race" in the 1936 Olympics.
   • The first woman to fly into space, Valentina Tereshkova, was originally a textile factory worker. She pursued a passion for skydiving, and it was this passion that helped her defeat 400 candidates. Tereshkova persevered through her rigorous training, and after the flight she also earned her doctorate in engineering.
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Part 2 of 2: Achieving great achievements in the long term

1. 

   
   
   Hold on to your goals for yourself. If you want to achieve just to impress others, your determination may die even before you start. Simply because many people who achieve great results do not consider it great in the beginning. Stephen King once said that his first novel, Carrie, has never been published. One thousand copies of this novel were sold in the first year. However, as he revealed in the memoir On Writing, (roughly translated "Nghiep Van"), he can continue to write thanks to him doing it because of his passion: "I write purely for pleasure. And if you can do something for joy, you will follow forever. ”
   • There is an astonishingly long list of famous authors of all time that have been rejected at first, even many times. Jane Austen's first novels were rejected many times by many publishers, but today she is considered one of the greatest writers in English in 200 years. Frank Herbert, author of the best-selling sci-fi novel of all time Land of sand (Dune) was rejected 23 times until someone agreed to publish - and even then they weren't sure they made the right choice.
   • Tales of scientific achievements are also stories of people who were considered wrong or even crazy, until they were proved right by time and research. In 1610, the astronomer Galileo openly supported the Copernican theory that the earth revolved around the sun, and although his discovery was correct, he was also convicted by the inquisition of the time. It was not until 1992 that he was formally pardoned by the Vatican.

2. 

   
   
   Learn from your mistakes. This may sound cliché, but learning from mistakes is a standard of greatness. People who repeat the same mistakes over and over again often cannot go very far. According to inventor and hit author Scott Berkun, there are four basic types of mistakes you need to understand and prevent:
   • "Foolish" mistakes are things that happen instantly: you order the wrong coffee, you leave your keys at home, you stumble your toes on the doorstep. People are not divine, and so things like that happen from time to time, and there's much you can do to avoid these mistakes.
   • "Simple" mistakes are mistakes that can be avoided, but still happen due to a series of decisions you make: for example, you pay a late penalty for the movie you rent just because you didn't have your car serviced, and as a result you can't go to the video rental store to pay it on time. It takes a bit of work to fix, but errors like this can be fixed quite simply once you realize where you went wrong.
   • The 'implied' mistake requires more effort to avoid making it, even though you probably already know where the mistake is: always eat bacon, always late to the movies with you. friends, wanting to complete the novel but not taking the time to write. To prevent such mistakes, it takes thought and determination, because that is often the result of bad habits.
   • The "complicated" mistake, well, is complicated. These mistakes often have big consequences and there's no sure way to avoid them next time: broken relationships, business failures, or actions that have unforeseen consequences. .
   • Ask yourself about your mistakes. It is not pleasant to review your own mistakes in detail, but it is necessary for you to learn from experience. Questions like "How subjective was I in this situation?" and "What is my goal here?" will help you figure out what to change.
   • J.K. Rowling spoke frankly about her first failure - being a single mother after graduating from college, followed by no income, publishers refusing time and time again - and saw it as a move. motivates me to continue my writing career. Failure "is to remove the unnecessary", is a way for her to see that despite the greatest fear that has actually happened, she can still succeed ..
   • You are more likely to succeed in the long run if you seek the advice and support of others, such as asking for help when you repeatedly make the same mistake and can't seem to change, Or seek honest criticism from others. Only make sure to ask the people who love and support you to get helpful, not malicious feedback.

3. 

   Never give up. Persistence and perseverance are manifestations of greatness. People like Owens may have given up in the face of harsh racism, but Owens did not give up, trying to win four gold medals and break many records.
   • Persistence needs to go hand in hand with learning from your mistakes. Keep working if you don't succeed the first time, but you also need to learn from your mistakes to get better results next time. For example, if your goal is to be successful in the literary field but there is no literary representative to accept your novel, you will have to consider several options: you may need to rewrite (thanks to you). review and contribute to your ideas by family or family members), maybe you should go the self-publishing path, or you have to keep working. Novel Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling was rejected 12 times, even people told her that "don't give up the job to earn a living to pursue writing."
   • Walt Disney was fired from his editorial office for being accused of lacking imagination or having no good ideas. He had to dissolve his first studio because he could not afford to pay the rent, and when he tried to persuade MGM to release Mickey Mouse, it was said that the idea of ​​a mouse would never eat customers.
   • Oprah Winfrey, who had a difficult and abusive childhood, was once deemed unsuitable for television and fired from her job as a television reporter. Like Rowling and Disney, she didn't let that beat her, and she is now one of the most iconic and powerful women in the world.

4. 

   Step out of your comfort zone. To achieve greatness, you have to step out of your comfort zone. Research has shown that everyone needs a space just outside of their comfort zone, called the "optimal anxiety zone", that pushes them to move up the level. The more you are ready to challenge yourself, the more open your comfort zone will be.
   • Let's start small: sometimes turn off the GPS navigation system on the trip, order something never tasted at a restaurant, talk to someone completely unfamiliar. Even if you don't always succeed, you will always learn new things there.
   • Ask yourself: Do you look back on the opportunities in your life before you close your eyes and down your hand, do you regret that you didn't grasp them? It's important to try to separate yourself from how you feel in the present moment, as most people are initially afraid of taking risks. However, they will most likely regret those opportunities in the future.
   • Believe it or not, by taking the risks under your control and staying informed, you can give yourself a boost against unexpected challenges.

5. 

   Step outside. Going out and bringing your work to the outside world is the only way for people to know and recognize your work. You may feel scared to show someone the draft of your first novel, or post your photographic work online for all to see, but walking out to let people comment and Criticism is the only way for you to grow and achieve great results.
   • If you are an artist, create a website and post your pictures online so that people can have an idea of ​​your work. Talk to galleries or even coffee shops in your community to get them to show some of your work.
   • And the network connects! Go to specialist events in the fields you are trying to reach whenever possible. If you want to become a talented artist, go to art exhibitions and studios. If you want to become a scholarly scholar, attend the best quality seminars. You have to see what others are doing and be willing to talk about your work.

6. 

   Always learn. Even if you succeed, you still need to keep learning - and not just learning from your mistakes. Constantly find out how others have achieved their goals and think about whether it can be applied in your own life.
   • Try to make yourself better every day. Consider dedicating yourself to a cause you consider worthy, or using your writing skills to comfort a friend. Good gestures and compassion can help you feel more satisfied with yourself, and will help you gain more confidence in reaching your goals.
   • Expand into new areas. If you're already good at math, try getting into literature or history. If dancing is a subject you are practicing, take a moment to learn drawing or computer technology. The process of learning new things will help your brain stay active, keep you from being lazy and open up new avenues for creativity and invention. It can also help you fight ingrained biases, or the tendency to just look at information that supports what we still believe is true.
   • Seeking advice and learning from others can also help you to achieve greatness, even if they are in completely different fields from you.

7. 

   Don't act alone. While making your goals on the road to great achievement, you always need to seek support and guidance from others. No one achieves something without the help of others in the community in one way or another, through teaching, through good gestures, or access to social programs.
   • Once you do, don't forget to go back to the community and the people who helped you, who edited your first draft, who persuaded you to step on the run, who taught you how submission, etc.
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Advice

• Always look for a way of life where you can use your accomplishments to help others. Benjamin Franklin wakes up every morning and asks himself, "What good will I do today?" And the night before I went to bed, "What good did I do today?"
• Train your body to get your creative juices flowing! President Barack Obama and businessman Richard Branson both start a day with intense exercise that stimulates the production of endorphins in the body. These miraculous chemicals help reduce stress and anxiety, boost your self-esteem, stay energized, and help you sleep better.

Warning

• Don't be arrogant because of your abilities or abilities you think you have. Humility is one of the key things to make people see your greatness.