10 Laws of Life
Rule 4: Continuously Increase The Quality Of Achievements
Constantly improving the quality of achievements is a manifestation
of an ever-evolving process.
This stage is considered a turning point that
It can take you further or hold you back.
Because, when achieving high achievements,
you have to face two choices.
One, being tempted by praise and forgetting what to do next.
Second, see those compliments as a motivation
to push you to further promote the results you have achieved.
In all fields,
the person who achieves the highest success is always one who always works hard.
It can be seen as the process of overcoming one’s own achievements
to rise to a higher ladder.
The future lies not in the halo of praise,
but in the actions and results we achieve today.
While we also understand that the praise
after every success is self-evident
and that we deserve it,
in many cases it is also valuable and useful;
however, never put it at the center of the effort.
What really matters right now is to look forward
to the next goals to accomplish.
The goal here is to always strive to do better,
to appreciate what we have achieved,
and at the same time,
It always strive to reach further.
To do so,
you must constantly try to improve your ability,
improve your level to go further.
Efforts to achieve
The process of performance enhancement is the stage of growth.
While striving for the best,
we have brought our passions
and energies together to reach great heights.
In that process,
the difficulties we face will be the conditions
and opportunities for us to accept
and conquer these challenges.
With a smile,
Todor Kobakov confessed that
he was “an arrogant 16-year-old boy
when he first left Bulgaria for Canada”.
He met William Aide,
his piano teacher at the University of Toronto’s Department of Music.
On the first day he met Professor Aide,
Todor told him directly that he did not like playing classical music,
nor did he intend to become a pianist,
but was only interested in composing jazz.
But not long after,
Todor’s thoughts suddenly changed.
Professor Aide taught him a lesson that
he will probably have to remind himself of
for the rest of his life.
During the first two years of his piano lessons,
Todor gradually learned something important from Professor Aide.
It is a musical performance that
It is not merely a performance of musical notes and musical skills,
but more importantly,
must show the individual style of the artist.
He and his fellow students began to understand that
what they were striving for was to be a good person,
not just a good pianist
– and the two were inextricably linked.
In his constant efforts to improve himself,
he has begun to realize his inner qualities.
Through music,
he discovers the limitations in himself that want to change
and the good qualities that he wants to promote.
This awareness has contributed to helping him control performances
according to his own intentions and thereby,
express his own style with a unique form of storytelling through music.
After four years of studying with a noble teacher-student affection,
on the day of parting,
Aide said to Todor:
“I think I taught you how to improve yourself”.
Now, although only about 30,
Todor was a mature person,
calm in all circumstances.
It was his experiences
as an artist that helped him grow,
and more importantly,
helped him to constantly improve throughout his life
through more and more impressive performances.
He said he still likes to perform small excerpts every few months
because it is the different style
that will help him see the change and development of himself.
It’s all just an experience
Although Todor always receives enthusiastic applause
from the audience after performances,
it is not important to him.
He expressed,
in fact,
that the same appreciation sometimes saddens him
because it signals the end of the performance.
In his opinion,
as an artist,
no one plays music just to impress the audience.
A performance is considered successful
when both the artist and the audience work together towards the nobility
and sublimation of music.
The artist “appreciates” the music indirectly through his performance,
while the audience applauds directly with applause.
The same is true for other fields.
When we start to do anything,
we are like artists walking on stage,
focusing only on how to let audience experience what we want to achieve,
not merely expect to receive
and response from the audience.
Those who take pride in the results of their work
and always strive to create more
and more meaningful experiences
for their enjoyment are always successful in any situation.
Even a human wait at a fast food restaurant
It can also be considered successful
when he gives his best to his job:
taking orders over the phone,
smiling at diners,
and quickly packing food.
Products purchased by customers
Anything that requires us to really pay attention,
just like the artists on the stage.
If you do it for the fun, the excitement,
the challenges that the job gives you,
and the pride in what you do,
you will never stop developing yourself.
If you work only for fame and self-interest,
you will stand still.
After all, the praise and admiration
that people have for you will disappear
when the new feeling in them is no longer there.
If you want to do the same things over
and over again just to get the same old compliments,
you won’t have any intrinsic motivation to push yourself further.
Always refresh achievements
There is a true story about playwright Laurence Olivier as follows.
To make every performance as fresh as the first,
Olivier always has a “ritual” before the stage opens.
He would stand behind the stage,
watch the audience through the wings,
and say to himself,
“This is not the audience from last night.
This is not last night’s show.
This is not the actor of last night.
This is not the play of last night.
These are not the lines of last night…”.
In this way, he encouraged himself to always strive
to perform the role in the best way,
even though he had played the role many times already.
A true and talented artist is one
who can create many different expressions in the same play,
so that every time he steps on stage,
the audience can enjoy something new.
It can be seen as the interference between many factors:
the sublimation of emotions
– the spirit
– of the artist,
the enthusiastic affection of the audience,
the venue…
Therefore, each show brings a an experience for the actors
and a chance to test their talents.
But the most important thing is to help them learn
from the “lesson” itself seems old.
Dan, a speaker,
told a story about an experience he went through,
which to this day is still a very valuable experience for his life.
“I have spoken in many places,
often in small groups as a friendly exchange.
But sometimes there are surprises.
Once, I was invited to speak to a very large audience,
about 300 people.
This made me very excited.
However, all was not as expected,
the lecture took place with only 30 people attending.
A disappointment and disappointment.
But after that,
I still started and thought that no matter what the situation,
I have to do my best.
I walked out and started the lecture comfortably.
I let all my sublime emotions flow out regardless
of how many spectators were down there.
This is a new test for me,
letting me express myself freely.
And when the lecture ended,
all of a sudden,
the audience stood up and cheered for me.
This enthusiastic response has inspired me
to give more lectures in the future.”
As a means of promoting growth,
praise can be very helpful.
It opens the door of opportunities
and abilities to promote achievements
to a higher level.
But if appreciation becomes your ultimate goal,
it becomes a huge obstacle to growth.
It destroys the imagination
and weakens the drive to progress.
When you constantly focus on building on your achievements
and see praise as a by-product,
you’re sure to keep moving forward to new heights.
Practice
Appreciation is not the end goal
Expressing appreciation
or sincere gratitude for compliments
It can protect you against the temptations of fame.
Just a fraction of who you are asleep in praise is enough
to make you unwilling to strive for higher achievements.
Do your best in the present
Fantasizing, fantasizing about the outcome will most likely contribute
to ruin what you should have received.
Beliefs will not come to fruition without action.
To be at your best,
you need to be fully focused on your current job.
If you do,
you won’t have to daydream
or be swayed by compliments.