I recently read a free 'Special Report'
called How to Double Your Way to a Million by motivational
guru Stuart Goldsmith. How does it work? Simple. Find a penny,
double it to two cents, double the two cents to four cents, etc. In
28 steps, you've doubled your way to a million dollars. He suggested
you find some partners so you can encourage each other, put your
heads together and brainstorm how best to use your skills, abilities
and creativity to succeed one step at a time.
I got to thinking there ought to be away to apply this to my chess rating, but instead of a penny it would be rating points. Then I could write a book and retire. No, wait, I am retired. Maybe I could make enough money to go to Disney World. No, wait, we are going there in a couple of months. I guess I don't need any more money, but the rating points I could always use. Actually, the extra money does sound nice though.
Back to the 'get rich theory.' I was reading about one lady who was very enthusiastic about this idea and decided to Blog about her attempt to follow the 'plan.'
I got to thinking there ought to be away to apply this to my chess rating, but instead of a penny it would be rating points. Then I could write a book and retire. No, wait, I am retired. Maybe I could make enough money to go to Disney World. No, wait, we are going there in a couple of months. I guess I don't need any more money, but the rating points I could always use. Actually, the extra money does sound nice though.
Back to the 'get rich theory.' I was reading about one lady who was very enthusiastic about this idea and decided to Blog about her attempt to follow the 'plan.'
I know you're all dying to find out how
she did. She got up to 64 cents. The problem then was to figure out
a way to double that. She considered maybe buying something for 64
cents and selling it on e-bay at double the cost. But, she added she
couldn't get money to start coming in on that project until she made
room for stocking the item. That meant getting rid of clutter and
cleaning the 'wreck' her house was in.
The difficulty there was she felt she
had no time. An article she read said as long as you believe you
haven't got enough time, you won't have enough money...they are
connected. She would wake up determined to accomplish something, but
the day always got away from her. She needed to focus. Stop
running around like a chicken with its head cut off, list the top
five things that need done and take action. She thought meditation
would help because it would enable great ideas to come to her. She
chose a time to start meditating...noon the next day. So, what
happened? Did she double her way to a million dollars? I don't know
because she quit Blogging.
Thinking about her gave me the thought
that she sounded like most chess players who determine to raise their
rating. We buy books, sometimes even books that make equally
hare-brained promises about becoming a master, and start off well but
after a short time get sidetracked, lose motivation or can't focus.
Some people, of course, stick with it; I know lots of players who
have been studying for years and got stuck at the 64 point rating
increase, if they even got that far.
What's wrong with us? Do we have an
inherent lack of gumption or are we studying the wrong things, or in
the wrong manner or...could it be that because 99.5 percent of chess
players never reach master, one either has the natural ability
to excel or they don't.
I believe that Gary Kasparov once said "hard work is a talent too." Most people I've mentioned this to deride the idea that the capacity for hard work is a "talent." They all insist that it's more a matter of character and determination. But why shouldn't it be true that some people have a greater ability to stick to a task and to persevere longer than others. Whether this is an innate ability or a developed one, I think it's real, and it may be one of the "talents" that separate those who succeed in chess.
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