‘Effortless is born [of] great effort.’
I heard this line in a spoof video depicting the making of the Brylcreem ‘Effortless’ commercial, and it got me thinking. There are examples of this all around us. We know that next to no one is born with the kind of talent that makes difficult tasks appear easy to perform. For everyone else on the planet, it takes a hell of a lot of hard work. And even then, we’re lucky if we can reach mildly impressive status. And yet, we set our sights on seemingly impossible goals all the time, only to give up on them when the going gets tough. What is that all about anyway?
Seth Godin calls it The Dip, and I think his insights are spot on. You really need to order a copy of this little book like
right now. It’s short, simple, brilliant, and relevant to everyone with a brain and an ounce of self-doubt.
According to Godin, it’s all about 1) striving to be the best in your own well-defined niche, and 2) not giving up for the wrong reasons. Let’s face it: everyone has it within their power to be the best at something. You just have to choose something realistic and commit to it. You might be trying to become the best at beat boxing, tossing ping pong balls, cup stacking, wearing the most T-shirts, or something more career oriented like having the most popular blog on the internet, preparing gourmet cuisine, or just plain making money.
Being the best carries with it automatic cool factor, ’cause let’s be honest: performing difficult tasks effortlessly is super cool. It’s cool because it’s rare; because only the best can do it.
I’d love to hear about your progress toward becoming the best in your niche.
[Brylcreem ad found via dy/dan]
Cheers,
Steven
Technorati Tags: human_nature, perspective, learninig, philosophy, self-help, video, life-coach
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