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steps (Photo credit: SFB579 :))
Every person that I’ve met is generally at one of the following steps:
“I have no idea what I’m good at.”
“I think I know what I’m good at, but I don’t know how to use my skills.”
“I know how my skills can be valuable, but I don’t have any real direction or purpose.”
“I have goals, but I don’t know where to start.”
“I’ve started, but I don’t seem to be making much progress.”
“I am honing my skills, but I now realise how much more there is to learn to become elite.”
There are people who won’t appreciate your best work.
They may criticise it.
They may reject it.
They may laugh at it.
They may not understand it.
They may not find it helpful at the time.
But don’t let that stop you.
The average person:
- Doesn’t read regularly.
- Watches too much television.
- Doesn’t exercise or eat right.
- Neglects their spiritual life.
- Holds grudges for years.
- Has the same ideas from 10 years ago.
- Spends now and pays later.
- Complains about their job, but does nothing about it.
- Wants to hide in the herd.
- Creates nothing that lasts. Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes you think that no-one notices… be your best anyway.
Sometimes everyone around you just goes through the motions… be your best anyway.
Sometimes your job seems pointless and menial… be your best anyway.
Sometimes you can get away with less… be your best anyway.
There are a range of possible reasons why you should aim to do your best in everything you do.
You could do your best:
- To assist you in your career
- To inspire those around you
- To win the plaudits of others
- Because you work for a noble cause Read the rest of this entry »
Many people have bold aspirations and dreams, but they end up settling for good instead of great.
Unfortunately, good gives us a false sense of security. We feel OK because whilst we may not have reached our potential, at least we’re not bad.
We can do good work on auto-pilot, but great work takes initiative, creativity, passion and courage. That sounds like a lot of effort when there’s no burning need to change.
That’s why good is the enemy of great. It’s because it lulls us, deadens us and seduces us into thinking that we don’t really need to try. You’re not that bad, so why bother?
Too many times, we think that so long as we aren’t the worst, so long as we’re competent, if the person in the next cubicle isn’t performing as well as we are, then that’s good enough.
It’s not anymore.
These summer months are a good time for Karen and I to catch up on some DVD releases from the past 12 months.
One of those was the A-Team, the remake of the classic 80’s TV show that I used to watch every week back in the day.
Of course, the timeless quotes like, “I pity the fool!” and “I love it when a plan comes together” featured, but there was another line that really caught my attention.
“Over-kill is under-rated.”
Some people are so anonymous in their efforts, that if they’re not there, no-one even notices.
When they are in attendance, they quietly sit and do nothing, impacting nobody, interacting minimally and adding no value.
They’re found in the workplace, on professional sporting teams, in churches and in any other organisation.
They watch the clock, read a few emails, take short-cuts any chance they can, get easily distracted and take up space.
The alternative is so much better. Read the rest of this entry »
Image via Wikipedia
Besides the obvious physical differences between lions and zebras, there’s a key psychological difference as well.
Lions have to be faster and stronger than their prey to survive. They must strive to be better and perfect their hunting skills.
Zebras just need to be faster than the next guy. They just need to ensure that there’s at least one more zebra in the herd who is slower than them.
Are you a zebra or a lion?
