There are four things I’ve found that are absolutely essential when it comes to mastering a skill. Whether it’s the skill of prospecting or closing or follow-up, or even the skill of running a marathon or learning a new language, these four keys are vitally important if you want to truly master it.

But before I give you these steps, there is something you have to understand. See, I wasn’t always successful. In fact, I was a high school dropout and a homeless woman. That shows you that success does not depend on how smart you are! Let’s be honest – you don’t end up homeless because you are super smart or because you know all the right people. I was an outcast who made some huge mistakes! It wasn’t until I started learning these four simple steps that my life began to change.

The reason I’m telling you this is so you understand that anyone can use these 4 keys. Anyone can master a skill! All you have to do is follow directions.

If you have spent any time with me, you’ve heard me say that the marketplace pays for value. And the only way to increase your value is to increase your skill. Today you’re going to learn how to increase your skill.

In fact, I am so confident that what you’re about to read will increase your skills so much that I know we will have stories literally pouring in about people getting promotions in their jobs, bringing in so much business they don’t know what to do with it all, and experiencing massive breakthroughs in every area of their lives. We will hear the stories. The only question is, will it be you?

The first key to mastering any skill is teachability. You must be willing to learn a new skill and a new way of doing things.

There are 2 populations in the world today: There’s the 98% of the population who will be dead or dead broke by the age of 65, dependent on their friends, family, or the federal government as their main source of income; and the 2% who is doing well financially. The 2% has a VERY different way of thinking and doing things. Their lives look very different than the 98%.

For example, 98%-ers are always trying to impress people with their knowledge. They have a know-it-all attitude, and they are afraid to admit they may not have all the answers. But 2%-ers are continuously learning and increasing their skills. They are focused on seeking knowledge and finding new and more efficient ways of doing things. They are constantly saying, "Teach me. Show me. Guide me."

In order to master any skill, you must be teachable.

The second step is repetition. You may have heard the saying, "Repetition is the mother of skill." And oh, how true that is!

It is a total fantasy to think that you only need to hear something once in order to get the full effect. It is a fantasy to think you will master a skill after only one try. Mastery doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and repetition!

Imagine a child who is learning to read. He doesn’t learn the alphabet and then just magically know how to read. It is a process. He only masters the skill of reading through repetition.

When you learn by repetition, knowledge becomes habit. This is true for both positive and negative habits. We learn poor spending habits or poor communication habits through repetition; and we learn good spending habits and good communication habits through repetition.

In order to master any skill, you must repeat the skill over and over again.

Next is persistence. If you want to succeed in anything, you must persist in the face of adversity!

Do not give up when it gets tough. Sometimes learning a new skill is way outside of your comfort zone, and it may get difficult at times, but persist!

Any time you set out to accomplish something, you will face adversity. That’s not a bad thing! In fact, without adversity, we tend to get lazy, we procrastinate, and we lose desire. But adversity is what proves your desire and your resolve, and it strengthens your commitment. It is impossible to build muscle without resistance, so push through! Persist!

In order to master any skill, you must persist!

The final key to mastery is consistency. Consistency ties all of these other steps together. You must remain teachable, continue in repetition, and consistently persist.

Without consistency, you will not master a skill. Without consistency, you will give it all you’ve got for a little while, but then you’ll back off and stop working towards your goal of mastering a skill. However, with consistency, you are a lean, mean mastery machine!

In order to master any skill, you must be consistent!

I believe that you can use these steps to master any skill you set your mind to. It works for me, and it has worked for countless others. I believe that if you will follow these simple steps, you will see huge results. And I, for one, can’t wait to hear about it!

So now it’s your turn. Keep in mind that the higher your skill level, the bigger your paycheck… So what skills will you master in 2013? Be specific. What specialized skills will you focus on increasing this year? I would really love to know – leave your comments below!

If you work with people, manage people, live with people, or know people (I know you fit into one of those categories), then you’ll definitely want those people to know these 4 keys.

Just imagine if every person around you knew how to quickly and efficiently master any skill. Imagine how smoothly things would flow at work and at home. Imagine how much more fun you could have if you were less stressed about learning a certain skill. Imagine how much more money you could make if your entire team was in mastery mode instead of trying to force a new skill… All of that can be a reality if you just pass this message along to them.

Other than that, I hope you have an awesome, productive, and proactive day! God bless, and I’ll talk to you soon!

In great faith,