Having been an English teacher for half my life I have discovered some interesting things about psychology, relationships, tricks, language and success.
But it wasn’t until I started studying success and business almost 5 years ago that I started seeing the relationship between how our actions (or inactions as the case may be) either lead us to success or failure in whatever field we choose.
One of my more recent discoveries has been that whatever we go after is actually not the goal, it is simply the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives.
Say you devote yourself to learning English and succeed; the question then becomes “What next?”
Whatever skills we learn must be put to use – to create a better future for ourselves.
English is a tool. A very useful one I might say, but it is just that a tool.
A pen can be used to create a masterpiece. In the hands of JK Rowling, it created a vast fortune.
A scalpel can be used to do the most delicate surgery if placed in the hands of an experienced doctor.
In the right hands tools can perform miracles, in the wrong hands, they can be useless, or worse, destructive.
It’s not what skills you acquire that create success, but rather what you do with the skills you acquire.
Mastery of any skill takes time.
For some it will take months, others years.
Language is one that I have seen first hand for many years and it’s always the same – it’s not how good you are to begin with, it’s how far are you willing to go.
I turn 37 this month and I am still learning the intricacies of my own language.
I may be fluent, but I still have a long way to go.
Some people wait till they have a certain amount of proficiency in a subject before taking action, but I’ve found that the faster you learn to put yourself out there, the faster you’ll learn.
The real world gives us valuable feedback on how to improve ourselves.
And the more we use what we learn, the better we become at it.
If magic is your study – then invite a few friends over for a night of magic. Do street performances.
Just get out there and do something.
Life is full of smart people, but smart doesn’t necessarily pay the bills.
Taking what we learn and applying it is where the real magic happens.
Ask any expert in their field and I guarantee they’re still working hard to improve themselves because they know that there is always more.
Mastery is not the end, it’s the beginning of a bright new future.
So where will mastery take you?
Adrian Shepherd