“A professional is someone
who can do his best work when he doesn't feel like it.”_Alistair Cooke
In the book,
‘Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do’ author Robert H. Schuller narrated
a story of the moment his family had a dinner with the famous pianist, Roger
Williams as a form of appreciation for his contribution to their ministry.
Though it
was a blast of a feast, yet Roger William noticed when the clock hit ten.
Immediately, he said, “Well I really have to go. I must get to work.”
“Work at
this time?” Robert Schuller curiously inquired.
Roger
replied: “Yes, it’s rehearsal. I will go home and rehearse from ten o’clock
till about two o’clock. I’ll sleep for about four hours, and then I’ll get up
and rehearse for another two hours.”
Now pay close
attention to the next question posed by Robert Schuller, for that’s where the point
of this entire article hides.
He asked: “Do
you do that everyday?”
Roger
replied without any hesitation, “O yes, every day.”
As we can
see, the few at the top of their game are not there because of raw talents
alone, they are there largely because they consistently get better at their
craft by working on it, everyday.
In this
sense, what is true for a great singer is also true for every other great.
Every day,
great scholars study.
Every day,
great painters paint.
Every day,
great writers write.
Even on any challenging
or tempting day, true professionals have learned not to rationalize and skip the
day’s duty. On such a day, they force themselves to put in their reps, no
matter how little.
Adopt the Attitude of
Everyday @ a Fixed Time
“What I adore is supreme
professionalism. I’m bored by writers who can write only when it’s
raining.”_Noel Coward
When it comes
to high performance and maximum efficiency, time blocking is the tool of choice
for committed professionals. They employ regimented routine to free up their
minds and their time to do their best daily work.
I have realized from personal experience that when
we give our duty a time and a place in our schedule, possible distractions and
interruptions tend to fall by the wayside.
Generally, the
most successful people are the most productive people. They are the ones who
show up, whether it is easy or difficult. They are the ones who put in the
effort when it is easier not to. They are the ones whom we can confidently
count upon to deliver, no matter what the circumstances are.
To them, no pains
are too great, no revisions are to too tedious, and no sacrifices are too much
for the privilege of becoming the best at their craft.
In this
direction, Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology concludes after years of
research that the secret of true professionals is nothing but grit: the ability
to stick to one’s duty— irrespective of the present circumstances or future
challenges— for as long as it well darn takes.
Simply put,
above all else, effort is the decisive factor of who gets to the fame hall of
achievement in the end. Effort takes precedence over raw talents: it is
required at all times, at the beginning, in the middle and even at the rear of
the journey.
In other
words, it doesn't matter what our life work is, if we don’t commit to it
unconditionally, we will never be among the very best—not even close.
You see, the
ability to show up every day, and do our work — especially when we have the
impulse not to — is so valuable a thing that it is plainly all we need to
become a true professional in any field of endeavour.
In summary,
you don’t need to become a workaholic to be a true professional; you just need
to get better at what really matters, day in, day out—without fail.
When
consistency is truly unshakable, mastery becomes inevitable.
