You can have it but…
Kristjan Vingel
Never think that a goal is unattainable.
I used to think that this or that goal is not for me because I’m not x, y, or z. Now I view things a lot more differently.
I believe we can get almost any goal we want, and we can learn almost any skill there is. The problem is that most people are not willing to put in the work and dedication. They don’t really want it. They don’t want it bad enough.
If someone would ask me if I’d want to have the skill to be a great trumpet player - I’d say, “of course.” Everyone would! But not everyone would put in the work and time to get that skill. I think it would be really cool to have that skill, but I don’t want it enough to learn it. Therefore I’ll never be a trumpet player.
So, we can have almost anything we want in life, but we can’t have everything we want. There are only a few things we can get good at and probably only one thing that we can become a master at.
I think that in order to become decent at a skill, it requires at least two years of practice - daily. It depends on the person, the subject, and many other variables, but I’m talking in general terms.
We’re all familiar with the idea popularized by Malcolm Gladwell that in order to become good at something, we need to put in close to 10,000 hours. Talent helps, of course, but it only gets you so far. Being tall and having the natural ability to jump high doesn’t grant you access to the NBA.
So, are you willing to put in work every single day for two years to achieve your goal? If not, then forget about it. It’s not for you.
Again, I’m not saying that it will always take two years exactly, but my point is that you have to be willing to put in that amount of time and effort. This is a sign that you really want it.
KRISTJAN
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Hi, I'm Kristjan. I'm a software engineer from Estonia. I like to write about life and self-development.