Steve Martin is one of the most famous comedians of the 20th century, and many “modern” devices that young people think are so novel actually have their roots in Martin’s work. Martin is a highly accomplished stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and musician…
…but how did he do it?
In his memoirs, Born Standing Up, Martin wanted to share his insights on how he achieved his success, not just whathe achieved. His advices inspiring, spot-on, and can help you achieve your goals in any activity or field. I want to share the essence of what I’m going to call the “Steve Martin Method of Achieving Your Goals” with you here.
When people ask Martin what his secret to success in the entertainment industry, his answer usually disappoints. It’s one, unsexy line and it’s very simple. Here’s what he tells them:
“Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
Before you dismiss this as clichéd, let it sink in because it captures the essence of achieving your goals, big and small, in any area of your life.
While his “secret” might seem daunting, it can actually be invigorating. It simplifies the quest for success, which is often made to look very complex and overwhelming. What Martin is saying is forget the secret backdoors, the gimmicks and tricks, the frustration of feeling like you’re missing some mystical element, and focus on just one thing:
Become really damn good at something. Become extraordinary at it. Better than everyone you know. So good that people couldn’t help but be amazed.
If you do this, you’ve almost guaranteed your success. All you have to do then is get out in the world and show your skills, which is all too easy in this age of instant, worldwide communication channels.
Martin had two other powerful pieces of advice that will help you apply his one-step-to-success.
Tip #1 for Achieving Your Goals:
Innovate, Don’t Just Work
Going through the motions to “put in your time” isn’t enough to become outstanding. You need a restless desire to figure out new, better ways to do things. You can’t be afraid to experiment and learn from the successes and failures.
Don’t be content with just following the crowd. Take the time to understand the principles and laws of the activity and look to others to see what they do well and what they don’t, and then dream up new ways to mix, match, stretch, and augment these things into something new and better.
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Tip #2 for Achieving Your Goals:
One Focus, One Goal
Martin said he owes his success to his diligence in one field at a time until he had mastered it. He resisted the urge to branch off into other, new types of work or projects.
In today’s age of never-ending distractions and possibilities, it can feel a bit counter-intuitive to sharpen your ambitions to a razor’s edge, but it’s one of the little-acknowledged common denominators among successful people.
Martin was right when he said that if you don’t align your entire life with one, singular quest for greatness, you’ll dilute your focus and drive to a point where becoming extraordinary is not possible. (Click here to tweet this!)
So, if you want to achieve your goals, whether they be personal endeavors or greater undertakings, forget about comparing yourself to others, groping for shortcuts, wondering about what it really takes, or worrying about if you’ll make it. Instead, ask yourself this question:
“Am I so good that I can’t be ignored yet?”
If your honest answer is “no,” then you’ve taken your first step toward achieving your goals because now you know what needs to happen. Start applying the Steve Martin Method and one day, if you see it through, you’ll not only achieve your goals, you’ll achieve greatness.
What are your thoughts on Martin’s insights on how to achieve your goals? Have anything else to add? Let me know in the comments below!
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Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is the founder of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
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Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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Some popular pre-workouts are all-natural. Some contain the right mix of high-quality ingredients. Some provide clinically effective doses. But only Pulse checks each of these boxes.
Pulse doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients''—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. Pulse contains no artificial or synthetic substances of any kind.
Every serving of Pulse contains 15.1 grams of active ingredients that have been shown to be safe and effective in peer-reviewed scientific research.
Every active ingredient in Pulse is backed by published scientific studies that show benefits in healthy humans.
Pulse contains no harsh stimulants that wind you up and burn you out. Instead, it contains a 1:1 ratio of caffeine and L-theanine, which produces a smooth energy rush and comfortable comedown.
We carefully examined 508 pages of scientific research to find out exactly what should and shouldn’t be in a pre-workout drink.
Every bottle of Pulse is guaranteed to provide exactly what the label claims and nothing else—no heavy metals, microbes, allergens, or other contaminants.
While these types of chemicals may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of them may indeed be harmful to our health. And that’s why we don’t put any of them into our products.
Before you buy a sports supplement, you should know that it's clean, safe, and transparent. And that's exactly what Labdoor's third-party testing and certification means.
It's hard to know for sure, but this probably makes Pulse the most-popular all-natural pre-workout supplement in the world.
If you don’t absolutely love this product, just let us know, and we’ll give you a full refund on the spot. No forms or return necessary.
Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab by Labdoor™, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
This product doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients’’—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. This product contains no artificial or synthetic substances of any kind.
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