If we look carefully at the Elite of the world, those who are the top 4% in the world, you will invariably find these three plateaus in their ascend to the top. The mountain climb of success invariably, in some fashion, will have the following as part of the landscape.

1. Fear of the unknown, fear of loss to get started. – Plateau 1, the bottom
2. Frustration, the challenge might be overly difficult getting to the next level. – Plateau 2, the long middle
3. Boredom, too plain, settling for vanilla, or lost being fun. – Plateau 3

Have you been stuck on one of these plateaus?

Plateau 1, The Bottom

Have you never started because it is unknown? You have no idea where to start or where this will lead?

These three factors dominate this plateau:

1. Weak Desire to impart action.
2. Wishing not willing.
3. Indecision, procrastination, and excuses.

Plateau 2, The Long Middle

Maybe you have gotten past the starting line and made some way up the mountain only to get stuck on the plateau of frustration. A lack of knowledge, inefficient techniques, or a feeling of limitation keeps you stuck? You are working so hard but feel like you are, at best, marching in place. How do you break the glass ceiling and continue to grow?

These five factors dominate this plateau:

1. Lack of specialized knowledge.
2. Lack of a written, organized plan.
3. Excuses over plans.
4. Comprising to challenges.
5. Blaming others for one’s mistakes and unavoidable circumstances.

Plateau 3, Getting to the top

Maybe you are in the top 4%. You worked, and you are naturally talented, but it bores you? How do you sustain performance?

These two factors dominate this plateau:

1. Lack of clarity of the destination or compromised destination
2. Subconscious fear of criticism of others, what they will think, say, and do. This is probably the biggest factor, but it is hard to observe and take ownership of when reaching the top.

I once asked my Trainer and Coach, Joe Burke, “What is the hardest problem to solve in the gym? “.  Consistency, he responded without hesitation. “Most gym members are beginners for life because of inconsistency.”, says Matt Smith, Human Performance Coach, and Owner at Bodysmith Performance.

Consistency is the father of mastery and the mother of boredom. The 3 plateaus are the candidates for the main contributors to sticking at any one of these plateaus along the journey.

In his book “Outliers,” author Malcolm Gladwell says it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to master a field. I have had a similar thought over the years. Many new dancers would ask me how long I have been dancing, and I would respond, “You are asking me the wrong question. You should be asking me how many hours I dance each week?” I do not know if ten thousand hours is the magic number, but no matter your natural talent, you must put in the time, so be aware of the time bandits along the way.

I know that many things can trip you up, but here we are, looking for the one thing that has the most impact to influence the outcome. The author of “The One Thing You Need to Know,” Marcus Buckingham, defines this as the controlling insight.  The controlling insight has 3 features,

1. Multiplying effect that has X10 influence for excellence,
2. This applies to a wide range of cases
3. Guides Action.

DO

Fear is fixed by knowledge;

read a book, go to a Course, be an apprentice, get a mentor

A Coach fixes frustration;

You do not know what you do not know. A coach can provide custom help to your situation. Your coach can see the blind spots you cannot see. The coach will be setting exciting new challenges. Pay for the excellent advice. Consistently work to deliver results plus one percent more. Growth by 1% can seem slow, it takes time, but after 30 iterations, that is 30% growth. Invest in consistent upward trending, especially if the overheads are low compared to the possible outcome.

Boredom is fixed by Strong Desires fueled by failure or just making changes;

You must understand your values and your mission. You must understand your logical and emotional makeup and know how to coax and integrate to stay both charged and regulated.  Refine your purpose and desire. Also, find variance, find competition, and get your butt kicked, as the world is not standing still while you get comfortable.

STOP DOING

Going it alone; no matter your talent or how smart you are, you cannot do it alone.

Impatience:  It takes time to improve. Do not kid yourself, and surely do not beat yourself up. In physical intelligence, you must crawl, then walk, then run. In terms of IQ, you must speak, then read, then write, and emotionally, you must know yourself, then know others, and then know the context of you and others. It takes time to master each rung of the ladder.

Diving into projects without guidance; practice without knowledge only makes bad habits. A good coach can evaluate your emotional or logical strengths and tailor the approach to put you in the zone for performance best.

Let us remember the words of Ray Kroc, who put this on the walls of his McDonald stores.

“NOTHING IN THE WORLD CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF PERSISTENCE.

TALENT WILL NOT; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent.

GENIUS WILL NOT; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

EDUCATION WILL NOT; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Stephen Choo Quan

Sharing is Caring. Thanks for reading and Sharing ❤

Follow me On: Instagram | Facebook | Linked in

Subscribe for Monthly Inspiration