“A lot of us are trying to do everything to be successful and I always make the point that there’s just one thing that you can be really great at.
Your job is to find that one thing and do more of it.” ​ — Mark Eaton 

Welcome back to the Steve Show! Have you ever felt like you ‘missed the boat’ on making a big achievement or career change? Today Mark Eaton is here to prove that it’s never too late to become the best in your field. He went from a humble diesel mechanic to a 12-year NBA all star despite a late start in his mid-20’s, and his insights will have you ditching the doubt and going after greatness! 

Mark’s has two simple ingredients for rising to the top of your game no matter what point you’re at in life — a simple mindset shift and a hefty dose of focus. Add in a little elbow grease and you’ll be rising to all star status in no time… 

Open Up To Opportunity 

Mark got ushered into the world of pro basketball by a chance meeting with a man who saw his towering 7’4” height as untapped potential. Even though Mark tried pursuing sports twice before with zero success, he opened himself to the opportunity and it led him to a 16 year NBA career. In his words, “a lot of people sit around lamenting that they don’t have the opportunities, when they’re simply not looking for them or they’re not open to them happening.”  

Becoming the best at something requires opportunities to grow. That doesn’t mean you need a mentor to magically appear in your life and whisk you into stardom. What you ​do ​ need is to cultivate a mindset of being open to opportunities when they appear! Even if they feel intimidating, create pause, or stir up some doubt. Recognize your resistance to outside-your-comfort-zone opportunities and consciously conquer it. It only takes one perfect ‘in’ to lead you down the path to greatness. 

Find Your ‘Ace In The Hole’ 

Mark discovered that you just need ONE thing that you do well to play a star role in whatever you do in life. For him, zeroing in on defensive playing led him to set an NBA record for the most blocks in a single season!  In his words, “I wasn’t the greatest shooter, the fastest runner or anything like that, but I had one thing I could do well and it helped my team win.”  

But what if you don’t know your one most valuable skill is? Mark says finding out is as simple as asking those closest to you what they see as your strengths. See if you notice a common thread among the feedback; it will point to your zone of genius. In business and life you can delegate and outsource, so just focus on developing the one thing you’re great at and do more of it! 

Ready to dust off the old passions you’ve set on the sidelines?  Let us know what YOU want to be the best at in the comments below, and we’ll support you and answer those questions. As Mark said, sometimes it just takes one person to believe in you to see the potential in yourself, and it would be our honor to lift you up!  

As always, until we meet again… 

Choose Gratitude Create Freedom 

Steve Napolitan