There’s a big yet slim difference between making it and almost making it. Now how can a difference be both slim and big? Well the difference between the lifestyle and rewards are big while the difference between the skill is slim or there’s one skill that is possessed by the successful that the unsuccessful do not have. My point is, it’s generally not a big thing. It’s a slim margin where someone with a slight advantage will pull far ahead of someone that’s right there with them.
Sort of like the difference between gold and silver, or more accurately bronze and fourth place. One gets you something, one you might as well have come in last. Maybe that’s not exactly true but you get my point. As far as what you have to show for it there’s a world of difference between bronze and fourth. One medals, one can say they competed in the Olympics. Still an accomplishment of course but no analogy is perfect.
But separates those that succeed from those that are almost there? Depending on what discipline we’re looking at, there can be a lot of different answers. I’m using self-published authors as an example here but don’t let that convince you that there’s nothing of value here for someone who isn’t a self-published author and never intends to be. The principles discussed here and going to be helpful for everyone. But first let’s talk about learning.
The Learning & Performance Matrix
At one point in time I wanted to be a teacher, I thought it was an interesting field and thought I’d enjoy it. Reality turned out to be very different but nevertheless that what I ended up majoring in and studying. And while I didn’t learn a lot of good things in school it did prompt me to seek our learning other places. The more and more I studied the more I saw similarities to how one learns something. Whether its history, mathematics, oil painting, or boxing. Across just about everything humans do, at least if its a craft, learning is roughly the same.
There are different components to learning that craft and moving through the stages of apprentice, journeyman, and finally master, even if there’s no formal definition of those sages. Writing successful fiction is no different. This is roughly comprised of three “parts” of learning that I discuss in depth here. I’ll give a brief overview here. Essentially learning can be broken into three parts with a great many things. You need all three parts working together to facilitate the most effective and efficient learning.
Those three parts are “doing”, “modeling”, and “instruction” for lack of better terms. I’ll use writing and boxing as examples because they come naturally to mind. Let’s start with the “instruction” portion as its what most think of when they think about learning. The instruction portion has to do with the lecture or showing part. So reading a book on writing fiction, watching a lecture by a famous author for fiction writing. Doing a combination of the pads or bag or shadowboxing for boxing. These are all examples of “instruction.”
Next we have doing which if you could only do one, would be this one, and that is actually doing the damn thing. So for writing it’d be putting your butt in the chair and typing out words. For boxing it’d be getting in the ring and doing sparring. That’s the doing portion. Then we come to modeling which is the most neglected of them all, but when combined with the others, can supercharge them. And that is the modeling. Modeling for fiction writing would be reading great books and for boxing it’d be watching film of great fights. Letting your subconscious soak in how something’s done at a high level.
What Separates The Successful Authors From The “Almost There” Authors
If you want to be a successful author you have to write, everyone knows this, and those that are serious about making it as an author have a certain amount of words they make sure they hit every day or week. And they stick to that schedule. They have discipline. However simply hitting your words every day is not going to get you to the success that you want on its own. Granted you’ll never have success if you don’t do it, but alone it’s not enough. Though it is the foundation of everything.
You also have to learn and study your craft. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Learn from others that have come before you. Learn from experts. Most who are serious about becoming a successful author have a stack of books written by writing teachers that they read a little of every day. They’ve probably been to a conference or two and have lectures available to access on their computers. Put simply they study the craft and learn from the greats or at least the betters at how to make that craft better. But even that isn’t going to get them all the way to that next level.
The thing that separates the good from the truly great or the great from the excellent is the modeling stage. So many authors that have yet to make it don’t read, which is ludicrous. It doesn’t make any sense. I remember an MMA coach saying if you’re not watching film you’re not serious about being a better fighter, the same with being an author. If you’re not reading fiction then you’re not serious about making it, you’re joking with yourself, and wasting your time. It’s reading fiction, the modeling stage, that separates the made it, to almost made it. The bronze from the fourth place.
Model & Win
Don’t forget the modeling portion, it’s the secret sauce, that propels things from good to great. That’s because it works on the subconscious and soaks in on a level that we don’t comprehend. It goes past the conscious mind, as useful as it is, and soaks into the deepest level of our minds. You’ll find you do things that surprise even yourself whether on the page or in the ring, or anywhere else. Model and win.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
