In Maximize Your Potential: Grow Your Expertise, Take Bold Risks & Build an Incredible Career, Jack Cheng writes:
"Someone is sitting at your desk. There is something familiar about this person. From a distance, this person bears a striking resemblance to you: they have the same frame, the same face, the same features as you. But as you get closer, you begin to notice subtle differences between the person and yourself. They look like they eat healthier and exercise a little more regularly. Their posture is slightly better and their clothes have fewer wrinkles. This person is the Better You."
I sometimes ask patients, "where do you see yourself in five or ten years?" Sometimes they have a very specific answer and other times very little idea. I follow up with, "wherever you see yourself, are you investing your time in a way that you can arrive at that destination?"
We choose whether to invest our time or spend it. Kevin Eastman of the L.A. Clippers reads two hours a day. In just ninety days, he can add 180 hours of expertise to his already encyclopedic knowledge of basketball, leadership, and player development.
Whatever your profession, as in Darren Hardy's The Compound Effect, you can grow exponentially when you leave your comfort zone and make the necessary sacrifices. That might mean more exercise, more skill building, reading, watching film, studying DVDs, and occasionally reflecting on what you know, what you don't, and how you'll bridge that gap.