To be successful at anything it takes time. The right kind of time.

To be great at anything takes a lot of time. You hear it with every major achievement. Michael Jordan used to practice harder and more intensely than anyone. We’ve heard the 10,000 hour rule for greatness in the book, Outliers.

I’m a huge fan of comedians and I love hearing their stories as they talk about how they eventually made it. It’s always a huge grind in crappy night clubs where they bomb time and again as they perfect their craft. I recently listened to one of my favorite comedians, Nate Bargatze, talk about his journey on a podcast. The years of dedication it takes these guys/gals to become great is amazing.

The same can obviously be said for startups and new businesses. It always takes time. But it is the type of time that is equally important. You can’t just put in the time without making sure its the right type of time.

To me, these are the characteristics one needs to keep in mind as it pertains to the time they spend trying to achieve greatness:

• Focused.
• Intentional.
• Flexible.
• Ultimate goal oriented. Not just goal oriented, but knowing what the end goal is and marching toward that over time is key.
• Results-driven.

What else? Are there characteristics of the way you spend your time that you think help you toward your goals?