When I look back at the things that have led me to the success I enjoy today, one memory that always emerges is that of a classmate telling me he thought I was a “jack of all trades.”

I don’t know why I was slightly offended by this. I was good at many things, with a myriad of interests that ranged from snooker to scuba diving. So, my classmate wasn’t wrong, and really, when you think about it, being a jack of all trades is great! But that was a label I wasn’t comfortable with because I realised what that meant – that I wasn’t committed to a specific skill or expertise.

Recognising Commitment

If this sounds like you, it might be a hard pill to swallow. You might be negotiating by asking how having a multitude of interests doesn’t show commitment. Maybe you believe that you could be a master of all the things you like. But here’s the hard truth about being a master of something – there’s a difference between commitment and interest, and interest can only take you so far.

Things changed for me when I realised the difference between being interested and being committed. After a while, I had to understand that to excel at something, I had to drop other things. I could still enjoy those things, but I couldn’t do them seriously if I wanted to be a master at something else.

Today as I lead a multimillion-dollar organisation, I realise that the narrative hasn’t changed. To become really good at something, be it trading or business-building or leading, we must put in those committed hours.

Commitment Leads to Greatness

A story I like to share with my staff is the classic business fable The Greatest Salesman in the World. The story goes that a young man named Hafid sought to become the greatest salesman in the world, and to do so, he had to read 10 scrolls thrice a day for 30 days.

The scrolls themselves contain a lot of wisdom, possibly for another time, but the thing I’d like to point out is that there is truth to Hafid’s commitment to reading the scrolls. To master a craft, you need to do it thoroughly, and you need to do it every day. And you can’t accomplish this if you’re distracted by other things.

Building a business empire isn’t easy, and becomes virtually impossible if you aren’t committed. Surround yourself with dedicated people who share your vision and feed off your commitment. Find people who don’t see work as just another activity to clock in, but as something that deserves time, effort and attention. And if that commitment isn’t present in you, forget about finding it in your team.

To your success,

Mario

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