According to comedian, actor, and musician Steve Martin, the key to success in life and work is to be so good at what you do, people can’t ignore you.
Martin shared this key to success during an interview with Charlie Rose about his memoir Born Standing Up.
“Nobody ever takes note of [my advice] because it’s not the answer they wanted to hear,” Martin said when answering a question about what advice he would give to aspiring performers. “What they want to hear is: ‘Here’s how you get an agent” and “Here’s how you write a script.’ But I always say, ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’”
There are many keys to success in life and work.
Goal setting and goal getting.
Finding the right economic model for your work or business.
Investing in what matters most.
All of these are important keys to success. But without striving to be so good that people can’t ignore you, none will amount to much. We can write a stellar mission. We can stick with something for the long haul. We can lead our lives from quiet. We can pursue our passions, be authentic, and find the right economic model for our work or business. We can even invest in what matters most to us. But if we settle for mediocrity, for good enough, for average…our efforts will simply be ignored.
Every day we have a chance to become better. Better as a spouse. Better as a parent. Better as a professional. Better as a person. Bottom line, every day is an opportunity to take a step towards being so good they can’t ignore us.
Questions: What steps are you taking to implement this key to success? What are you doing today to be so good they can’t ignore you?
