Задача по теме: "Понимание информации в тексте"

I’m a high achiever. The rules I live by are strict but that’s because they have to be. Time is my most precious resource. It allows me to read and learn. Time is what makes me money. When deciding where to invest my time, I am extremely greedy. I give my close friends the time they deserve because I value our relationship. In other cases, I carefully weigh the investment versus the return and go from there. It might not be “normal” but it is required to reach the level of success I want to achieve.

One difference between those who “achieve” and those who don’t is the ability to set a goal and walk through the finish line. When I set a goal, I tell myself when I’m going to have it achieved. If I don’t have it done by then, I check whether I have a good reason for not doing it. Every decision I make has an effect. If I have to make a choice, I ask myself whether or not it is moving me closer to my goal. Many people are hesitant to make important decisions weighing up the pros and cons. I’m not sitting on the fence, though, because I understand that every single decision has to be contributing to my growth.

Actually, I am not any more gifted than other people. The only difference is that I try to learn something from every single person I meet, whether it’s a manager of a large company or a random person next to me on the train. I believe we all cross paths for a reason and there is a lesson everywhere you turn. Every moment is an opportunity to grow. And the more moments you string together, the faster you learn, the more you grow, and the better you become at everything you do.

However, I also learn while reading. No doubt that experience is of great value, but the truth is that if you’re not reading, you’re not learning fast enough. Personally, I read “ABookAWeek”, minimum. On my personal website, I share which book or books I read last week. I know” there are people out there who want to learn more than they want to get rich. There are people out there like you, and you just have to find them. Once you do find them, you can become friends and help each other. Once a week I meet up with a few entrepreneurs I know and we exchange ideas and set new goals. I also meet up with an artist group from my college and we help each other stay grounded and share our art. Such groups of peers are extremely significant because they help high achievers to remember what they are working towards.

As for me, I’m a creative person and I care about the difference I make. I care if someone doesn’t like what I make. It doesn’t deter me from what I want to do, but I do care; and because I care, I put my everything into what I do. This might be the most important differentiating factor in being a high achiever. Of course, caring is hard and it makes you vulnerable. However, if you want to achieve something that is slightly out of your grasp, you have to care a lot. You have to allow yourself to feel all those emotions: excitement, fear, vulnerability; and you have to use what you feel to make you create. Otherwise, you are unlikely to achieve anything.

Achieving any big goal requires an unnatural level of dedication. When nothing seems to be happening, it’s easy to descend into darkness and wonder what you’re doing there. The line of sight for a high achiever extends beyond” the horizon of their own success. You are basically trying to bring something out of nothing into existence. It’s inevitable to occasionally feel like you’re going a little mad but, as Steve Jobs said, “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are usually the ones who do.”

(Adapted from ‘The mindset of high achievers’ by Nicolas Cole)