Why It’s Okay to Suck Sometimes…
Jun. 14th, 2007 by Josh Mullineaux
Most of us do not posses Tiger Woods’ skills on the golf course the first time we play, and most of don’t hit a Mark Maguire homerun the first time up to bat. Most of us don’t do anything well the first time we try it. Why should business or our professional lives be any different?
What Does it Really Mean When You’re Not Good at Something?
It only means that there is room for improvement. I am a licensed banker at JP Morgan Chase, if you didn’t know this you can read more about me in my about section. I started there less than 6 months ago and I have been struggling to meet my performance expectations (for myself). In all of my other sales jobs, I have sold better than anyone in the office, this is simply not true at Chase. Not to say that I haven’t been trying. There is a lot to learn, especially in the financial industry. I know that I have huge room for improvement. This is a good thing in a way.
Be the Best!
I want so badly to be the best at everything I do. This means that I am trying to improve at an exponential rate and I will hopefully surpass everyone else in my branch. I am constantly asking everyone who has been successful in the company and what they did. I have the drive and I am not afraid to make mistakes. I know that I will eventually succeed. I think that it is very important to listen to those who know more than you in order to improve yourself. Those who have gone through it before and excelled will provide an excellent perspective.
Possible downsides…
If someone doesn’t quite have enough motivation, they might not try to improve at something they’re not good at. This is very dangerous. You need to give yourself a chance to be good at something. Who knows, maybe you will improve to be the best in the world at something, get a promotion, or even become very wealthy. You never know unless you try.
Do Everything You Can
What motivates Lebron James to be the best? One reason may be because he is competitive. It is the competitive spirit that drives people to success. What motivates you? Why are you doing what your doing on a daily basis? Everyday you should be thinking about what you can improve upon and how to do it. If you don’t know, start asking those who’ve done it before. Take ownership of your life. Too many people just coast through it without deciding for themselves what they want to do. Start dictating your own future.
Each one of us has the power to do what we want in life, we just have to recognize it. I could very well give up before living up to my full potential and settle with barely making the minimums, but I won’t. I want to be the best and will not stop until I am. Start today and figure out what motivates you and why you’re doing what your doing. Then strive to be the best. Look for ways to improve. Believe in yourself!
Posted in: Personal Development |
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June 15th, 2007 at 5:23 am
I just read an article this morning about how LeBron wants to be the first billionaire athlete. He’s obviously not going to get it through his salary. He’s buying companies and learning how to invest his salary and sports earnings. He might suck in the NBA finals, but he’s certainly a savvy guy.
June 15th, 2007 at 8:56 am
[...] Josh Mullineaux tells us why it’s okay to suck sometimes… [...]
June 15th, 2007 at 10:18 am
I know I’m not good at everything, so I let it go and do what I can
June 16th, 2007 at 5:13 am
I sometimes have to remind myself that it’s okay that I don’t have everything figured out. It’s very debilitating sometimes, because I often will put off doing something until I have everything figured out, and when that happens, it usually ends up not getting done. Great post!
June 16th, 2007 at 5:38 am
[...] stumbled across a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Josh Mullineaux where he talked about ‘Why It’s Okay to Suck Sometimes’. This post reminded me of how I got where I am today by overcoming this feeling that I wasn’t [...]
June 16th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
It’s hard coming to terms with that sometimes you just have to accept that you’re great, or maybe not even decent in something, but that it’s okay. I think a common trait for successful people is that they have great self-insight, and are able to identify their flaws, and then work on improving them. And if that doesn’t work, you can always, as the old saying goes, outsource the job
I think it’s important though, to realize that there will always be times where you encounter things you aren’t going to master. But it’s how we react in these situations that define us as persons, and how well we perform, not only in any given situation, but in life as a whole. It’s also nice to know that it’s never a shame to ask for help.
June 17th, 2007 at 12:01 am
Most people suck, espcially in the beginning. You just need to un-suck after a while to be successful.
July 25th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
[...] weeks ago I wrote a post entitled “Why its Okay to Suck Sometimes.” It was mostly about how learning is more important than doing something perfectly, especially [...]
October 12th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
[...] - Josh Mullineaux on Why It’s Okay to Suck Sometimes… [...]
October 25th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
[...] - Josh Mullineaux on Why It’s Okay to Suck Sometimes… [...]
October 25th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
A great moto is to always be the best you can be.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:45 am
Thanks Josh for this post…it helped me today.
I tend to sometimes get down on myself for not being good at something. In fact, I find that I’m just ok at a lot of things, but not great at anything. I think my troubles are that I’m interested in a lot of things. It is difficult to focus on just one thing for me.
In fact, just today I overheard my boss telling someone that (…he was probably talking about sales) isn’t one of my strong points. I shouldn’t take it personally, but I do…hearing things like this tend to get me down. I am taking actions to improve my communication skills by becoming involved in a local Toastmasters club, and by giving presentations to customers. I hope I can make this weakness a strength for me.