Grow Taller and Other Articles

It doesn’t matter which field you want to work in life. There are often very few obvious shortcuts. Not everyone is born in a wealthy, or even supporting family and often people are left to their own devices. Don’t bet on the government to sort your problems out for you- I spent years working for the government and there’s only so much people in power can achieve (some would argue if they acheieve anything at all!)

I wanted to talk to you about a concept I have which is called “playing the long game”.

Too many people give up far too quickly, too easily in life. Life is not about one constant ascendency as you will know. However the ride to the top can be smoothed by a number of shifts in your mental attitude to the world and it’s people.

You may have heard of an English footballer called Stuart Pearce who played for his country 78 times, was captain for club and country and also played in the Premier League until he was nearly forty.

In his autobiography, he said that the reason he was able to become a professional in the first place was that he was willing to take the knocks, and keep working when others had already given up or decided they didn’t want to become anything special.

There were always better players at school, county level who were better than him he said; although he was usually one of the better players, he was never the best. But few of those at a young age who were the “best” went on to make the professional grade and as is so often it’s the ones who put in consistent, small chunks of effort over a longer amount of time, rather than a huge burst in a short space of time will make it- I mean just look at the number of child actors who never made it as adult actors- those who start slow but accumulate consitently over the weeks, months and years will get furthest in life than those “born” with talent, or simply pused by family until they want to do something else!!

The difference is that he had the discipline and focus to last through the tough times, and there were plenty. In fact he was still advertising his services as an electrician even when he got his first professional contract at Coventry City FC, such was the amount of insecurity he felt!

This does not mean by any means you have to have exactly the same psychological makeup as Stuart Pearce; but guaranteed, any extra effort you make, you can be rest assured that there is equally someone out there who doesn’t want to get out of bed, or they just are content to watch another couple of hours of TV… what could you be doing in that time? A mental toughness is sometimes required to become the best or to make any level of success.

And even if you perhaps quite haven’t got that mental toughness- there are ways you can learn this- I have read many many books on the subject of psychology  and what it takes for people to succeed and often people have common traits who make it; usually perseverance, the willingness to learn, take feedback, and get up time and time again after being knocked down.

So here’s to your success and resolve!

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