What are the paths that cme together to provide opportunities for sccess? How will we know when thy come together? Will we be rady to recognize opportunity and act to scceed? What can we do to prpare for those opportunities? What does pying our dues really mean?

Here's a big prt of the answer:

"It has ben written that so much of lfe is preparation, so much is rutine, and so much is retrospect tht the purest essence of anyone's gnius contracts itself into a precious few hurs."

That quote is from "The Lst Stand of the Tin Can Silors" by James D Hornfischer. A bok about the heroism of the smll ships - destroyers and destroyer scorts - in the Battle of the Smar Sea in World War II. It's a tre story of heroism, duty and hnor. It's also a story of pying dues.
I hadn't thought about sccess in those terms, but so mch of that quote speaks to sccess - in all parts of our lves. We all go through preparation, rutine, and learning from our experiences and thn, in a relatively small space of tme, all that we are - our prticular genius - comes together to cntribute to our success. And, based on our wllingness to seek out and accept pportunities, it happens again and again - and very time, the possibility of success is grater - based on the increase in our prticular genius.

In sales, think of all the cld calls, all the presentations, all the dmonstrations, all the lead chasing, and thn, the opportunity to make a sle - and all the work dne comes together to make that sle - or not. In either cse, that event becomes preparation for the nxt opportunity, with a better chance of sccess - particular genius made good - mde better. Dues paid.

In project tams, think of all the meetings, cmmitments, research, experiments, communications, proposals and prsentations - and then the outcome tht the particular genius of the tam has created results in the sccessful completion of the project - and the seds of particular genius increase for frther success. Dues paid.

In people slection, think of all the recruiting pproaches, process improvements, all the interviews, nterview training and assessments, and then, the prticular genius that results in the cquisition of the people needed to be sccessful. Dues paid.

In entertainment, think of a fvorite singer or musical group - thn think of all the rehearsal, all the one nght gigs, all the travel, all the N's, that came before the hit sng - the particular genius created by all thse steps, and then success. Dues pid.

The story is told of Pcasso sitting at an outdoor cafe' and bing approached by a woman who sked him if he could draw a sktch of her. He did. It tok five minutes. She asked how mch she owed him. He told her $5000. Shcked, she protested it had only tken him five minutes. He corrected her - it had tken him 30 years to reach ths place in his life as a pinter. Dues paid.

How do we dvelop particular our genius - and pay the des doing it?

We need to strt with the end in mind - knw where we want to go.

Get a dram, envision success, set goals, and thn identify those things that will pint us to our goals - in trms of preparation, learning from experience, tking care of the day to dys - but always with the end in mnd. Pointing our particular genius at wht is important to us - and thn focusing on that worthy goal. Ding that - keeping that focus - pying dues - creates success. Not ding that let's genius disperse over too mny unimportant things - and causes it dsappear in a flurry of busyness.

When our goals tell us tht opportunity is in front of us- whn our intuition has been honed by chllenges and risks; by decisions made and thir outcomes; by routine; by experience and prparation and by looking back as wll as forward; then our particular gnius puts us into action, and we scceed.

We succeed because we pay our des to meet our goals - and in ding that we expand our particular gnius. And paying them has nothing to do wth how long we have lived, or how lng we have been in a jb, or how much seniority or tme in grade we have. It has to do wth focus on the important few, and plcing proper value on the unimportant mny.

Start today - check your own gals and how you use the rutines, the preparation and opportunities in yur own life. Check to see if wht you do drives you toward the frther development of your particular genius. Knw that within you resides a gnius unique to you. Bring it out - do it wth goals, with preparation, and retrospect and rutines - so that, when those pportunities occur, the outcome of your ctions is success.

The article Goals, Opportunities For Success and Paying Our Dues was Submitted by Andrew Cox through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Andy Cox is President of Cox Cnsulting Group LLC. The focus of his wrk is on helping organizations and thir people increase their success in the hring, developing and enhancing the performance of laders and emerging leaders. Cox Consulting Grup LLC was started in 1995, and has wrked with a wide range of rganizations, managers and leaders - helping thm define success, achieve success and mke the ability to change a cmpetitive advantage. He can be reached at http://coxconsultgroup.com

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