The average individual performs far below their abilities. They do what they have to do to survive; to get by. They avoid taking risks that could disrupt their lives.
True success is the byproduct of unleashing your innate abilities; exposing them to the light of day for all to see. But this requires risk. That risk is taking a leap of faith in yourself and your abilities. Few ever do.
Unleashing your innate abilities is really nothing more than pursuing something you enjoy – something that brings you joy while engaged in an activity. The problem? Oftentimes exploiting your innate abilities requires an enormous investment in your time before that investment begins to pay dividends. Because the investment does not produce immediate rewards, it’s a problem. Developing your innate abilities by through hours and hours of daily practice combined with hours of daily reading to gain more knowledge to perfect those abilities, simply requires too much time for the average Joe.
There’s a very common adage: “luck comes when preparation meets opportunity”. When you devote yourself to something you are passionate about, you are engaging in activities that tap into your innate abilities.
But developing those abilities requires an investment. You must engage in them over and over again, until you become an expert. Developing expertise takes time. Five to seven years, at a minimum. Sometimes longer. And with little to no immediate payback. This investment in yourself, tees you up for success later in life. Opportunities eventually present themselves. If, however, you are not prepared when an opportunity comes your way, then the opportunity passes you by. But if you are prepared, if you’ve done the hard work for many years, when the opportunity does come along, you are ready to pounce.
Many people call this fortuitous alignment of preparation and opportunity, luck. Those who prepare their entire lives, those who invest in their abilities their entire lives, become beneficiaries of luck; the meeting of preparation and opportunity.
Every human being has innate abilities. These are inborn strengths hardwired into your DNA from the moment of birth. Your job in life is to find out what you’re good at and devote yourself to it for the rest of your life. What you’re good at is usually something that comes easier to you than to others. That’s life’s way of winking at you. Your strengths are the clues to finding your inborn, natural abilities. Find your strengths, devote your life to improving them and luck will follow.
Luck is the precursor to success. You cannot become successful without luck. In order for luck to occur, you must relentlessly develop those abilities that come naturally to you. You must invest your time and energy in perfecting them. Find your strengths, develop those strengths relentlessly and luck will follow.
About Thomas C. Corley
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