"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination." -Napoleon Hill
"Change is the end result of all true learning." -Leo Buscaglia
"One repays a teacher badly if one remains only a pupil." -Friedrich Nietzsche
To imply a person is successful implies they have conquered one subject or another. A path that involves just three phases: Observation, Education, and Mastery.
Observation is the first phase. It is when a person is on the outside looking inward. It is a state of knowing what is only on the surface. For example, It could be someone that has no musical training in awe of a guitar player at a concert. Everyone must make a decision (conscious or unconscious) if they wish to go beyond this first phase into the next phase.
The next phase is a phase of education. It is where a person goes deeper than what is on the surface and starts actively learning. The romanticism from the observation phase starts to fade and the hardships of practice appear. To continue from our previous example, it is where a person was so inspired by a concert they went to that they decide to buy a guitar and start taking guitar lessons. This is the phase in which most people end their quest.
For the few that continue on their journey the final phase is mastery. It is where someone takes control of a craft and remolds it in their own likeness. It is a complete cycle and return of that original romanticism from phase one. In our example it is where someone practices and learns the skills of playing guitar to the level that they use that skill to changes the lives of others. Whether it be playing a concert, writing music, forming a record label, starting a guitar manufacturing company, etc.
The subject is irrelevant, but the three phases on the path to success are always the same.
