We’ve all heard of beginner’s luck, and we’ve been told that to get consistent great results … at anything …  takes time. So it follows that the longer you play your sport, do your job, or are a parent (or spouse), the better you’ll become. Right?

Not necessarily.

Experience alone does not make you better. The longer you do something … the longer you do something. That’s it. You become more competent with your level of competence, and more ingrained in your habits. In order to improve the quality of that thing you do, whatever it may be, another factor is required: Intentional struggle. Let’s break this down.

Intentional means that you make a choice to get better. Improvement is a decision before it is a process or a result. Do you want to get better? At what? Why is this important to you? Answer these questions, and you’ll place greater attention on what you are actually doing, or saying, or being. You also intentionally notice others who are excellent – better than you are, and you’ll seek insights to up your game.

The next part is to struggle, which is not optional. In order to get better, we must embrace our current level of understanding and ability and begin to shift them to the next level. This means you’ll make mistakes, and that’s not a bad thing! By being intentional in your struggling, you will get emotionally engaged in the process. You’ll begin to notice that success and failure are separated by a fine line, and improvements are more about the nuances, the sometime’s subtle shifts in your approach or actions. Now, when you get it right, it becomes a celebration!

Because your struggle to improve is intentional, after each effort you take the time to notice what happened – what worked and what didn’t. What should you have done that now becomes obvious? Capture these ideas intentionally, then apply them to the next effort.

To the person who is committed to improvement, struggling can be frustrating, but it’s also fun! It is rewarding to mark your progress, capture new insights, and do the right work that will make all the difference to your results.

You’ll never reach your full potential. There will always be more to learn. The best become excited by the prospect of improvement. They love what they do, and they love getting better. Do you?

Beginner’s luck is awesome. But it isn’t sustainable. So don’t just put in your time. Put in your heart. Get serious about what you do and why you do it. You don’t have to be perfect. Let’s just keep getting better.

And if you are really serious about improving your life, personally and professionally, I’d like you to consider joining me for a fantastic event held this December 12-14 in Atlanta, GA. It’s called the OBOP Breakthrough Experience, and it’s going to be awesome. Click this link to learn more. And then, after watching that video, see the link in the comments section to get all the details. Hope you can make it, as it will be a life changing experience!