Earl Nightingale is well known in the personal development field. Much of what I have studied has a base in his teachings.
He is eloquent and sincere. He took the time to master his craft.
He has too many quotes to mention but the other day I came across this one and thought it might be worth sharing with you.
“One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”
Now that might sound farfetched but just think about how much time most people spend studying after they finish college.
In college we put in one or two hours each week to get our work done but it’s done out of necessity rather than desire.
I believe that when Earl Nightingale said this he left his part out.
Study is crucial to our success but only if we have our heart in it.
The people who have the desire to learn and proceed to put in an hour of study a day will invest at least 365 hours a year into that field.
But passion often pushes us to strive harder.
I know for a fact that when I really wanted to learn magic that I put in two hours a day, rain or shine, for about 16 months.
And I was getting good.
I sometimes wonder just how good I could have become had I chosen to keep going. The key is that knowledge and skill compound.
At first, we might not feel the progress is slow and can be quite disheartening.
But as long as we keep going, slow and steady, eventually there will be a point when our skill naturally improves.
I heard another quote that is quite relevant here – a magician was once asked how he had become so good at his performance. He replied, “The difficult must become habit. Habit must become easy. The easy beautiful.”
I had seen how effective investing 2 hours a day into magic had been so I wondered just how much I would be able to achieve if I instead put that time into personal development and investing.
In case you’re wondering, I have invested at least 2 hours a day, Monday to Friday, for 5 years now. You do the math.
How? When I walk or drive, I have my audio sessions.
At lunch and any down time, books.
At night, whatever I’m in the mood for.
Finding the time isn’t hard. Doing it is.
Anyone can, but not everyone will. Will you?
Adrian Shepherd