How Skilled Are You?

Finding out where you are on the skill ladder and employing the concept of  incremental will get you moving upward faster.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

How Skilled Are You?

I’m constantly amazed by people who have skills I don’t have.

Watch the Olympics? I’m in awe. Flip on the DIY Network? Same thing — people fixing and building things I can’t even pretend to understand. Read about someone inventing some mind-blowing new gadget? Yep . . . I’m reminded once again of everything I can’t do.

That seems to be our collective obsession – focusing on skills we don’t have.

Now for some, that’s a motivational strategy to go get what they want. For most, however, it’s a blueprint to stay stuck.

We compare ourselves to the best of the best, or to photoshopped perfection, and suddenly our own skills feel . . . well, tiny. Not impressive. Not enough.

But here’s the sticky wicket: When we don’t appreciate the skills we already have, it’s almost impossible to take the next step toward improving them.

Let me tell you a quick story.

Years ago, I went to a management seminar. The leader asked us to rate the skills of the people who worked for us on a scale of 1 to 10. Simple enough.

Then he said something that stuck with me: No matter what number someone scored, your goal wasn’t to get them to a 10. If they were a 6, your job was to help them become a 7. Not a 10. Not yet.

Think about how often we shoot for a 10 when we’re realistically a 5. That gap creates nothing but frustration — and usually, we blame ourselves.

But if you can honestly assess where you are, you have a much better chance of getting where you want to go. The trick is not expecting yourself to “leap tall buildings in a single bound.”

Progress starts with accepting where you are right now. If you downplay your current skills, you never get moving.We all have skills — but we’ve been conditioned to discount them if they don’t match the very top people in the field.

And sure, maybe we’ll never reach a 10. That doesn’t matter. What matters is moving from a 3 to a 4 . . . or from a 6 to a 7. That’s not lowering expectations. It’s beating inertia.

Most people shoot for a 10 even when they’re sitting at a 3. It's the American way — go big or go home . . . and usually we end up going nowhere.

The real key is simple: Assess your skills honestly. Then create a plan to get to the next number. That’s the only goal that matters.

Because when you try to accomplish something your current skills can’t support, the outcome is predictable — you stall. You stop. You start again. You stop again. All because patience wasn’t part of the plan.

Do the small things consistently, and the big things take care of themselves.

So assess where you are today . . . and aim for just one number higher. That’s how momentum starts.

All the best,

John