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In a world obsessed with winning and the best possible performance, the science of how to get people to the edge of their physical, mental and cognitive abilities has grown in size and importance. From sport to business, from politics to raising children, there is a growing interest in techniques and solutions that can help nurture lasting success. The recipe may differ considerably according to which area of life it touches, but there is also a steady core of qualities that should be strengthened for improved achievement. Again, this set is far from universal, as disagreement on how to make the most of people rages on, but it has been proven to make a difference, all other things being equal.
Repeatedly, it has been passion that is placed right at the center of pushing yourself to the heights of your abilities. It is indeed a powerful morale builder that vastly outscores all sorts of external motivation, including financial gains or professional promotion, because it is rooted in individual needs. The evidence suggests that people, who are guided by passion, rather than discipline or coercion, perform better during turbulent times. They are not as easily deterred as those driven by outside forces and they are set to overcome setbacks on the road to the final destination. Their satisfaction tends to be more intense, reaching greater depths and contributing to their future attitude.
Another behavior is practice. Even though excellence often looks effortless in sport champions or business icons, it is rarely just a consequence of their talent or some other magical qualities. It tends to be developed over years of repetition and rituals that slowly build up someone who is marked by perfection. Practice should not be confused with unbearable drudgery, reshaping oneself forcefully and acting against oneself. On the contrary, whatever effort is necessary to excel in something should be channeled well, possibly creatively, in order to minimize resistance.
As everyday observation suggests, we can do more when we start with the least desirable part and then proceed towards what might be called a dessert. The initial motivation and freshness, both of which dissipate along the way, should be tapped so that the hardest task gets done effectively and quickly. As we get closer to final gratification, jobs can become less and less demanding. In corporate training, this mechanism is called a delayed gratification. For the same reason, most people are capable of doing the most in the morning.
Continuous focus on achieving, moving forward, doing better and better, can backfire if not enough care is taken to secure relaxation. As is made evident in most corporate training programs very early on, even the top scorers need time to replenish after pushing themselves. It is this cycle of crossing the boundaries of your endurance and then resting, as if in a celebration, that powers many professional athletes. It could also bring about phenomenal benefits in other areas, from business to politics.
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