From Opportunity magazine
Vol. 2, Issue 2, Q2 2007
THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER BY DEDICATING YOURSELF TO GREATNESS EVERY DAY
Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you pursued greatness every day? If you woke up every morning knowing that you were 100-percent, all-out committed to being the best in all aspects of your life?
I'm not talking about giving something your best effort or even your personal best. I'm talking about being the best, selling out to that completely and not settling for anything less.
Several years ago I made a conscious decision that I was going to live every single day with the heart of a champion - to be the best in my business, the best husband, the best dad, the best friend. I still have a long way to go and I stumble at times, but I get up every morning motivated by the notion that this is another moment that I take a step forward, that I'll live another day playing life above the rim.
It's amazing how things in your life change, all from that one decision to dedicate yourself to excellence. At first, it's hard. It's a challenge to maintain that energy, enthusiasm and focus every day. But soon excellence becomes a habit and then a way of life. Your pursuit of the best becomes infectious. You have other people around you see how this mindset has changed your life and they devote themselves to being the best. Then you find yourself surrounded by positive, dedicated people driven by their passion to live life to the fullest.
To have the resolve to be the best, you have to want it - badly. You need to have the zeal to make this change in your life. Being the best is not for everyone. Some people are content to make a nice living, spend time with their families, do good work for others and live quietly. But if you want to live life out loud and commit yourself to be the best in every way, that takes the ultimate in personal dedication, sacrifice and self-examination.
What kind of mindset does it really take to be the best? When I began my quest, I started to study champions. Tiger Woods is one of the people I've scrutinized; not only for his amazing golf game, but also for the attitude and mindset he brings to every aspect of his life.
Tiger's chosen game is golf - but he is pursuing greatness everyday. He practices relentlessly. Even when he's meeting a friend for a casual golf game, he's at the course at 6 AM practicing his swing for hours, working out, taking a run, and then practicing again before tee time. He's driven, articulate, dedicated and approaches every game believing he will win. Tiger Woods has wanted to be the best since he was five years old, and I believe this drive is the reason he has a leg up on the competition.
In my study, I've found a few core things that every champion has in common. And if you decide pursuing excellence is a way you want to live your life, here are some of the things you will want to dedicate yourself to doing:
1. Commit Yourself to Greatness.
The first thing "the best" do is devote themselves to achieving excellence in all aspects of their lives. They decide they want it and they go after it. No holds barred. You need to have a fire in your gut to be the best and get up every day willing to do what it takes to reach your goal.
2. Don't Worry About What Other People Think.
Tiger Woods never worries about the competition. He remains so laser-focused on his game that his competitors spend their time worrying about him. That's part of his edge. If you want to be the best, you need to stop caring about what other people think of you. Becoming great is a lonely journey. You'll have your critics and people who bad mouth you. Combat this by staying focused on your game so you'll be on your way to your goal while other people pour their energy into talking about you.
3. Be Open to Criticism.
This tenet may sound like the opposite of the one above, but it's not and here's why. Tiger could play the best game of golf ever and when his coach comes up to him and tells him "I think I have a few ideas to improve your swing," he doesn't cop an attitude. He doesn't say, "Do you know who you're talking to?" He says, "Great. What are you thinking?" Why does he do that? Because the person isn't criticizing with malice. He's showing him how to improve his game and achieve his goal of being the best. Learn from those who came before you and when they offer you an idea on how to improve your game, listen and be gracious. It may not be for you, but you need to be open to it.
4. Maintain Emotional Control.
If you get rattled, you'll lose your focus and eventually you'll lose your way. Live your life with passion, but stay calm, collected and focused on your goals and your pursuit of the best.
5. Practice and Prepare.
Beside Tiger's attitude, what makes him one of the greatest athletes of all time? His ability to play great over and over again. How do you get that good? Practice, practice, practice. Repeat the same things over and over again until your perfection of it becomes part of who you are.
6. Always Conduct Yourself Like a Champion.
How you treat people. How you dress. Your manners. Your fitness level. How you carry yourself. When you look in the mirror, do you believe you are the best in all of these areas? If not, you need to work on it. Pursuing excellence isn't a sometime thing. It's an all-the-time thing.
7. Play for Something Larger than Yourself.
If you want to be the best for vanity's sake, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. But if you're driven to be the best in your field to do something that's never been done or to take the profession further, that's a noble pursuit. At World Financial Group, we have a chance to change people's lives, an opportunity to get a family on firmer financial ground and change that family for generations to come. That's a cause that deserves your time and passion.
As you pursue the best, people will try to sabotage you. They'll tell you your pursuit of the best is pompous and conceited. But one of the most humble decisions you can make is that you truly want to live greatly. Why? Because there is an assumption in that decision that you currently aren't, and that you're willing to admit it and make strides to change it.
Can you imagine where our company can go if every associate made an all-out commitment to pursue excellence every single day? We would have the chance to build a movement, the chance to be historic. And that's where we're headed.