What can Rain Man teach you about success?
Well, if you watched the movie like everyone else in the ’80’s, he probably taught you a lot, though you might not realize it yet.
Rain Man isn’t like everyone else. He has a few, select strengths, which to you and I look pretty amazing. And most everything else that we can do without thinking about it (like driving a car or buying underwear), is a little hard for him.
So what can he teach you about success? Here it is:
Your comfort zone is good.
Rainman likes routine. He’s not accustomed to going out of his comfort zone. And that’s ok. By focusing on his counting abilities, he won a cool $90K in Vegas. Yes, it’s illegal, but that’s not the point.
The point is that we have this idea that we have to push ourselves to do those things that we hate in order to feel that we are growing. We believe that if we don’t like something or aren’t good at it, then it must be a weakness, a deficit, a flaw. And flaws must be stomped out at any cost.
The truth is, just like Rain Man, there are things we are good at, and things we aren’t good at, or things we just plain don’t like.
You don’t have to do something you hate to feel you are growing, pushing boundaries, or challenging yourself. You can operate within the space of your gifts, talents and passions because the pursuit of excellence will push you to grow enough.
Successful people develop their natural talents and abilities.
The beauty of this strategy is that you will grow into yourself instead of trying to shape yourself into something or someone you think you should be.
So whether you’re great at counting toothpicks or at something else, don’t focus on what you can’t do well and work improvement. Focus on what you already do well and work on amazing.