When someone expects you to do something hard, how often do you feel driven to do it?
Not out of fear of punishment, but because:
- They set high standards for themselves and live by them. Their actions speak louder than their words. So, we’re deeply inspired by them.
- We feel indebted to how much attention they’re giving us, in spite of their busy schedule. Which in turn creates a deep desire in us to live up to their expectations.
If we can surround ourselves with more of those kinds of amazing people who are invested in our growth, then we’re much more likely to succeed in our lives.
So, the question is how do we find these people? How do we connect with them? And how do we get them to be invested in us?
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Here’s what worked for me:
- Sign up with a great teacher
- Show up for their classes extremely regularly.
- Follow their instructions to a T.
- Attend at least 90 classes with the teacher without a break.
That’s it? Yes.
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It’s just 4 steps, but this is harder than it seems. Let’s find out why.
- Sign up with a great teacher: The tricky part here is “great”. Because it’s your definition of great. The teacher would need to be an inspiring leader in the specific areas of growth, that you’re focused on.
- Show up for their classes extremely regularly: We all go through the dip. Its easier to be excited for the first week or two, but to keep showing up for classes consistently for 8, 9, 10, or more weeks – without skipping a single class? That’s a tall order.
- Follow their instructions to a T: Why is this hard? Because not everything that the teacher tells you is going to make sense to you immediately. So, you’ll have to trust them, surrender to their wisdom and follow through on whatever they ask you to do enthusiastically.
- Attend at least 90 classes with the teacher: Most habits get created in about 66 days. Let’s round that off to 90 days, for maximum mileage. But that’s for habits. Now, if you want to apply the same rule to build a strong connection with your teacher, your goal would be to attend that many live classes with your teacher. If they teach 5 or 6 times a week, you can still complete the 90 days of classes within a 4-month timeframe.
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It must be obvious to you by now, but there will be very few students who check off all those 4 boxes.
So, if you’re in that small, limited set of super-engaged students, you’ll start to see that the teacher’s positive energy will start to work its magic through you as well.
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” – Tao Te Ching
The teacher is always available. But for you to truly connect with their teachings and energy, you’ll need to take the first step of engaging and investing yourself deeply.