There's No Such Thing as Unicorns

Unicorns are pretty highly regarded in our house. I suspect that's true of every household that includes a five year old girl. They are pretty. They are magical. They are special. But that's probably because I'm a human. Amongst the unicorns, they're just ordinary. Who knows where they fit amongst the other mystical beings. Phoenix's probably look down on them because they can't bring themselves back to life.

It's easy to look at successful people and think of them as being different. Being unusually blessed. Lucky. Knowing something the rest of us don't. But I think this attitude not only sells yourself short, it also diminishes the hard work those successful people have put in to be where they are.

As I learn more and more about the stories of successful people, the more I realise that mastery is built on strong core principles and consistent effort. That may sound boring and uninspiring, but I think that it's realistic. It's the essence of what turns aspirations into reality. And I think that is very inspiring.

If you want to learn more about this, the Ramit Sethi interview on Chase Jarvis Live is a good starting point. Michael Gervais also offers a lot of practical insights. One key learning for me has been that achieving mastery involves not only perfecting your craft, but also your mind and your body. This involves discipline and process. That might be annoying to admit, let alone commit to, but I think that's the point. If it were easy everyone would be doing it.

So perhaps, it isn't that unicorns don't exist. Maybe it's just that there's nothing stopping you from becoming one except yourself.