People-watching is one of my favorite pastimes. I look for a lot of things, but probably the thing that intrigues me most, is what I think of as "presence." That special quality of peace, harmony and confidence that tells you someone is in the zone. While we've been conditioned to think of that as a sports metaphor, that is not the only application.

 
Just sit at a Starbucks somewhere and watch the people go by. If you look for it, you'll see it. That quiet confidence, that comfortable-in-their-own-skin look that tells you someone has Mastery. They have lived life, learned from it, and they are not afraid of it. They have presence everywhere they go.

 
Every time they walk to a table in a restaurant, heads turn to watch them go by. Although they may not be what society considers "handsome" or "beautiful," they have a sexual energy that attracts people to them in droves. When they join a heated discussion, the chattering stops and people listen for what they have to say.

 
Remember the scene in the original Star Wars when Obi Wan Kenobi says, "These are not the droids you're looking for," and the storm trooper says, "These are not the droids we're looking for." Lucas portrayed it as a Jedi mind trick, but people with the quality of Self-Mastery I am speaking about have such a power.

 
They walk up to hotel clerks and get a room when none are available. They enter restaurants 90 seconds before closing time and get friendly, gracious service. They get a warning instead of a speeding ticket. And when they walk up to the airport security screener, passport or customs officer, they think "I'm not the one you need to check," and the officer thinks, "She's not the one I need to check."

 
Is it magic? Is it "the Force?" Is it even conscious awareness?

 
Well, I have some interesting thoughts on this. I would answer the questions above, "No, yes, and maybe."

 
No, it's not magic, but it is definitely a hard-to-define force. And while some people are aware they have it, others possess it and don't even have a clue.

 
I believe that becoming a Master at what you do for a living is important. But that is not enough. Mike Tyson, Diego Maradona, Daryl Strawberry and "Doc" Gooden all achieved Mastery at a skill that made them a lucrative living. And each of them turned into a train wreck, because being great at your vocation is not enough. You must master what it is to be a person. A well-functioning person.

 
That's not news to you I'm sure.

 
Self-Mastery-the kind that brings you happiness and success must include relationships, honesty and life balance. But Self-Mastery, like Mastery of any kind, means excelling above most others, achieving the highest levels of effort, practice and execution. Being willing to sacrifice to be the best. And once you attain this kind of Mastery, it shows. Even to the casual observer at a sidewalk café.

 
Those are the people I love to watch. They have an undeniable presence about themselves, a sense of purpose, calm and harmony that is simply intoxicating to witness. They have a quiet confidence that is noticeable to anyone who looks for it. That's the kind of Mastery we are working on here at Breakthrough U.

 
So let's talk about how you get it . . .

 
Mastery comes from confidence. Confidence comes from experience. Experience comes from practice. Practice comes from commitment. And commitment comes from vision.

 
Please read that last paragraph again. Then do the arithmetic backward and you have a roadmap to success. And notice that it all starts with vision.

 
Every thing that manifests in your life is a result of the vision you have for yourself. Everything. One of the common mistakes people make is to say things, like, "But I don't really have a vision." Au contraire . . .

 
EVERYONE has a vision. Now it might be a positive vision, it could be a negative one, or it may be a neutral one.

 
The guy who says, "I can't get a break, I'm too old to get hired anymore, you need an education to get a good job," and things like that has a negative vision. People who sleep-walk through their days, figuring to coast through their jobs for 35 years and then take an early retirement have a neutral vision. But make no mistake; each of those is a definite vision.

 
That's why goal setting, Dream Boards, and activity planning are so important to success. Each of those things causes you to expand your vision.

 
And each time you open the window of your vision a little more, you are much more likely to make a commitment to achieving it.

 


 
*Excerpted from Randy Gage's Breakthrough U monthly lesson

 
For more than 15 years, Randy Gage has been helping people transform self-limiting beliefs into self-fulfilling breakthroughs to achieve their dreams. Randy Gage is a modern day explorer in the field of body-mind development and personal growth. He is the author of the best-selling albums, Dynamic Development and Prosperity and director of http://www.BreakthroughU.com . For more resources and to subscribe to Randy's free ezine newsletters visit http://www.RandyGage.com .

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