“The quality of your practice and training is far more important than the quantity of hours.” -Anthony Moore
Most people think that just putting in the hours enough. They think that showing up going through the motions is how you achieve success.
As a result, many people are simply doing the same thing day in, day out and deceiving themselves into believing that they’ve actually made any progress.
Hence, Hugh MacLeod has said,
“A lot of people in business say they have twenty years’ experience, when in fact all they have is one year’s experience, repeated twenty times.”
Indeed, the amount of time you put into something doesn’t really matter. You can be an accountant for twenty years and still be terrible at it. You can go to the gym every day for a year and not gain any muscle.
Simply showing up isn’t always enough.
You actually need accountability. You need a system that works, and a destination worth striving for.
Without, it’s easy to let the fundamentals slip and just default to going through the motions.
It’s easy to watch weeks, months, or years go by and suddenly realize that you haven’t made any progress.
So, Are You Actually Getting Any Better?
How would you know?
Just look at your life. British philosopher, Alain de Botton has said, “Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.”
Indeed, when you look back at your life 12 months ago, are you embarrassed of all the work you were doing? Are you embarrassed of how you were using your time and how you were showing up in your relationships?
Or, are you still the same person?
Of course, Benjamin P. Hardy would say that “personality isn’t something that should remain permanent.” You should look back on the last 12 months and see how far you’ve come.
However, real progress as an individual is something that has to come from yourself. No one else can do it for you. In order to change your results, you first must change who you are.
If you do not change who you are, you will not change your results. Rather, you will repeatedly relive the results of your past.
Hence, you actually need bigger and bigger goals that you’re pushing towards.
You need a thirst and insatiable desire for something for more. Not because you lack gratitude for your current circumstances, but because you know there’s always another mountain to climb.
You know that if you’re not going up, you’re going down.
Said Grant Cardone,
“If you’re not moving at all; you’re not going up, and you’re not going down — you’re going down!”
In Conclusion
It doesn’t really matter how many hours you put in. The question is: are you actually getting any better?
Are you a fundamentally different person to who you were 12 months ago, or are you still the same self?
John C. Maxwell has said, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” You’re either going up, or you’re going down.
Don’t wait until the new year to put your progress back on track; do something, today!