Moving forward: Shine like a star

Shame about Michael Jackson. Whether you loved him or loathed him, nobody
could deny that he was a star. What is it about some people that makes them
stand out in the crowd, and how can you copy their charismatic secrets to shine
in your own particular field?

Well, stars are extremely good at what they do. Many start with a natural
talent, but they work hard at honing and perfecting that gift, putting in the
hours of practice it takes to turn good into great.

In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell estimates that it takes 10,000 hours
of doing something to master it. That’s roughly ten years if you do a couple of
hours a day, or around three years if you totally immerse yourself and live it
ten hours a day.

While you’re perfecting your skills, you’ll have time to work on your star
quality.

Charm, charisma, call it what you will, what it boils down to is making the
person you’re talking to feel like they’re the most important thing on your
planet at that moment. Make eye contact, ask questions, be genuinely interested
and make the person you’re talking to the absolute centre of your attention.

You have to make people care about what they do. Throw yourself
whole-heartedly into what you do, too. Exuberance is catching, be a passionate
ambassador for what’s important to you and infect others with your enthusiasm.

Be daring ­ stars are original. They don’t just follow what everyone else
does, they stand out from the crowd and challenge convention.

You too can learn to take risks without being reckless. Develop the
confidence and belief in yourself that you need to think and act independently.

Spend time with people who are up-beat, optimistic and actively engaged in
building a positive future. Find people who support your vision and understand
your commitment.

Stars don’t just dream, they do. Stars dream big but they act as well. They
do a lot of things, some of which are successful, many of which are not.

The successful stuff is what the public gets to see, the rest is necessary
experience ­ stepping stones to future achievements.

Unless the outcome affects someone else, don’t be afraid of making mistakes,
they’re how you learn ­ become prolific and some of what you do is sure to
strike home.

Lynn Williams is a career coach and author. Her books include Readymade CVs and
Readymade Job Search Letters
(koganpage.com)