Excellence Breeds Success
There is a difference between success and excellence.
Success is often measured by comparison to others. Excellence, on the other hand, is all about being the best we can be and maximizing our gifts, talents and abilities to perform at our highest potential.
We live in a world that loves to focus on success and loves to compare. We are all guilty of doing this. However, I believe that to be our best we must focus more on excellence and less on success. We must focus on being the best we can be and realize that our greatest competition is not someone else but ourselves.
For example, coaching legend John Wooden often wouldn’t tell his players who they were playing each game. He felt that knowing the competition was irrelevant. He believed that if his team played to the best of their ability they would be happy with the outcome. In fact, John Wooden never focused on winning. He had his team focus on teamwork, mastering the fundamentals, daily improvement and the process that excellence requires. As a result he and his teams won A LOT.
A focus on excellence was also the key for golfing legend Jack Nicklaus. His secret was to play the course not the competition. He simply focused on playing the best he could play against the course he was playing. While others were competing against Jack, he was competing against the course and himself.
The same can be said for Apple’s approach with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. When they created these products they didn’t focus on the competition. Instead they focused on creating the best product they could create. As a result, rather than measuring themselves against others they have become the measuring stick.
We have a choice as individuals, organizations and teams. We can focus on success and spend our life looking around to see how our competition is doing, or we can look straight ahead towards the vision of greatness we have for ourselves and our teams. We can look at competition as the standard or as an indicator of our progress towards our own standards. We can chase success or we can embark on a quest for excellence and focus 100% of our energy to become our best… and let success find us.
Ironically, when our goal is excellence the outcome and byproduct is often success.
(Thanks to Jon Gordon)
Friday Humor (Ain’t it the Truth?!)
10 Steps to Making Change Easier
Change doesn’t have to be hard; here are 10 steps to help make it easier.
1. Begin by making small changes or break up large-scale changes into more manageable increments. This can make you feel better about handling the changes you are about to make while making you more comfortable with change in general.
2. Mentally link changes to established daily rituals. This can make changes like taking on a new habit, starting a new job, or adapting to a new home happen much more smoothly. For example, if you want to begin meditating at home, try weaving it into your morning routine.
3. Going with the flow can help you accept change instead of resisting it. If you stay flexible, you will be able to ride out change without too much turbulence.
4. When a change feels most stressful, relief can often be found in finding the good that it brings. An illness, a financial loss, or a broken relationship can seem like the end of the world, yet they also can be blessings in disguise.
5. Remember that all change involves a degree of learning. If you find change particularly stressful, try to keep in mind that after this period of transformation has passed, you will be a wiser person for it.
6. Remember that upheaval and confusion are often natural parts of change. While we can anticipate certain elements that a change might bring, it is impossible to know everything that will happen in advance. Be prepared for unexpected surprises, and the winds of change won’t easily knock you over.
7. Don’t feel like you have to cope with changing circumstances or the stress of making a change on your own. Talk about what’s going on for you with a friend or write about it in a journal. Sharing your feelings can give you a sense of relief while helping you find the strength to carry on.
8. Give yourself time to accept any changes that you face. And as change happens, recognize that you may need time to adjust to your new situation. Allow yourself a period of time to reconcile your feelings. This can make big changes feel less extreme.
9. No matter how large or difficult a change is, you will eventually adapt to these new circumstances. Remember that regardless of how great the change, all the new that it brings will eventually weave itself into the right places in your life.
10. If you’re trying to change a pattern of behavior or navigate your way through a life change, don’t assume that it has to be easy. Wanting to cry or being moody during a period of change is natural. Then again, don’t assume that making a change needs to be hard. Sometimes, changes are meant to be that easy.
(This article is re-printed from DailyOM – Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day.)
Also by Madisyn Taylor: Learning to Live (Kindle eBook)
The 3 Signs Telling You Your Purpose in Life
In his latest book, The Art of Work, bestselling author and blogger, Jeff Goins offers some unconventional advice to help you abandon the status quo and kick start a life work that’s packed with passion and purpose. In an interview with Goins, he shared three actionable tactics that anyone can use to identify their calling.
1. Listen to your life.
According to Goins, the best place to begin charting your future is by taking a look at your past.
“One of my favorite quotes is from Parker Palmer when he says, ‘Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I need to listen to my life to tell me who I am,” said Goins.
The elevator speech for this tactic is being more self aware about what you’ve accomplished or not accomplished in the past. The intent is to look for a unifying thread or pattern that’s consistent throughout your past experience that’s also consistent with your passion and skills.
That unifying pattern or thread should energize you once you recognize it. Goins says this retrospection will also identify those activities in the past that you should avoid as you move forward because they drained you or amplified weaknesses.
“I don’t believe your past necessarily dictates your future but it should inform it,” said Goins.
2. Accidental apprenticeships.
The reality is that nobody achieves success or realizes their life purpose by themselves. It’s a process that requires and demands a team of mentors providing guidance.
According to Goins, that kind of help is all around us — we just don’t always see it.
“Every story of success is a story of community. Some people will help you willingly, while others may contribute to your education on accident. If you are wise, you can use it all,” said Goins. “Even though each of us has a unique journey, it’s full of teachers who can help along the way. Your job is not to seek them out necessarily, but to recognize them when they appear, because oftentimes they’re closer than you think.”
3. Prep for painful practice.
There’s a myth that once you know what it is that you’re supposed to pursue, achieving that purpose will be easy because it plays to your strengths and passion. That’s not the case.
“The paradox is it’s difficult to achieve the level excellence that your calling should merit, but that struggle for mastery is also invigorating and fulfilling. It’s tough and not everybody realizes that until they’re in it,” said Goins.
Just as with professional athletes, musicians or artisans, expect to intentionally hone your craft to the point of exhaustion. Otherwise, mastery will elude you.
“Grinding it out is not fun. Painful practice is not fun, but it’s necessary to both clarify your purpose and achieve it,” said Goins.
The key is finding where your abilities and personal drive intersect the needs of others. According to Goins you can find that juncture by answering the following three questions:
- What do I love?
- What am I good at?
- What does the world need?
Once that sweet spot is identified you won’t have a job or even a career. You’ll have a life purpose.
(Thanks to Tor Constantino)
We are All Part of a Very Long Journey. . .
According to these traditions [the traditions of ancient wisdom as found in the Upanishads as well as the spiritual traditions of other cultures], the world is indeed a theatre of experience and we find ourselves on its stage in order to learn lessons that can only be taught in a physical realm.
Moreover, we are enjoined to be aware that we have been given a precious opportunity to be born into this world of matter and consequences as human beings (rather than as fruit flies, or slime molds, or cockroaches, or stones).
After all, the whole biosphere is here to support us. Four billion years of evolution on earth have led us to a point where we can make very fine distinctions between good and evil, darkness and light, love and fear – where we can make conscious choices that will impact us and others in profound ways.
This is why, in my view, modern technological society can only be described as demonic. It appears to have been expressly engineered to switch people off to the wider implications, and the wider mystery, of being alive.
It bombards our consciousness with sterile, soulless messages of production and consumption, of envy and greed, that never get to the fundamentals of anything. It seeks to convince us that we’re just meat – just accidents of physics and chemistry – that our only purpose is to produce and consume as much as possible, and that when we’re dead, we’re dead and that’s the end.
I don’t believe those messages! I think we’re part of a very long journey. . .
Graham Hancock
Please Don’t Drive Distracted. . .
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Distracted Driving
Have you ever texted, spoken on the phone, changed radio stations, or even turned around to talk to passengers while driving? If so, you may be exposing yourself, your passengers, and anybody else on the road to harm. Driver distractions such as these accounted for 10 percent of all fatal crashes, 18 percent of injury crashes and 16 percent of all motor vehicle crashes in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). And of these hazards, cellphones and text messaging were the most common cause of accidents. However, other common habits, such as using a vehicle navigation system, eating and drinking, reading a map, grooming yourself, or even having a phone conversation using a hands-free device can be hazardous, too. Employers May Be Held Liable Not only is distracted driving dangerous for individuals, but there is a growing concern among business owners and managers that they may be held liable for accidents caused by their employees while driving and conducting work-related conversations on cellphones. Under the doctrine of “vicarious responsibility,” employers may be held legally accountable for the negligent acts of employees committed in the course of employment. Employers may also be found negligent if they fail to put in place a policy for the safe use of cellphones. Tips for Safer Travel Keep these safety tips in mind when driving:
While everyone should follow these rules, it is particularly important to review them carefully with teen drivers. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year olds, and in 2012, 10 percent of all drivers in that age group involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of the crash, according to NHTSA. Talk to your teen about safe driving habits and, most importantly, model good behavior on the road. © Copyright 2015, Insurance Information Institute, Inc |
Wondering What’s On Tap for Next Month?!
Performing random acts of kindness fulfill your days on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and the more you can do for others, the better you feel about yourself.
You’re the picture of poise on the 6th, 7th, and 8th, and people will really have to do something wacky to phase you. You’re so calm in the face of crisis that you might want to consider becoming an EMT, 911 operator, hostage negotiator, etc.
You know how to get the best deals around on the 11th and 12th, so why not offer to go along with a friend who’s in the market for a new car, or help your mom do online research? Might sound boring to some people, but you get a secret thrill out of getting something below sticker price or for the lowest advertised interest rate!
You’re either intensely liked or disliked on the 17th and 18th, and that’s fine with you. You’re super comfortable in your own skin, which is more than most people can say.
Challenges come in many forms on the 26th, 27th and 28th, but you don’t back down from any of them.
You might want to start thinking about what inscription you want on your trophy.
Happy April!
And, when you are ready to get your trophy. . .
What Jon Says. . .
Who knew that two simple words could change one’s mindset, perspective and approach to work and life? Just two words have the potential to enhance joy, productivity, performance and change a complaining voice to an appreciative heart.
So often we say things like, “I have to take the kids to practice.” “I have to go to this meeting.” “I have to finish this project.” “I have to go to work today.” “I have to take care of this customer.” “I have to share this new information with my team.” “I have to see my family this weekend.”
We act as if we don’t have a choice. As if we are imprisoned by a paycheck and the expectations of a world that forces us to do thing we don’t want to do.
But in reality we do have a choice. We can choose our attitude and our actions. We can choose how we view our life and work. We can realize that every day is a gift. It’s not about what we have to do. It’s about what we get to do.
We get to live this life while so many like my Mom, who passed away at 59, left this world far too early. We get to drive in traffic while so many are too sick to drive a car. We get to go to a job while so many are unemployed. We get to raise our children even if they drive us nuts at times. 🙂
We get to interact with our employees and customers and make a difference in their life. We get to use our gifts and talents to make a product or provide a service. We get to eat three meals a day while millions of people are starving. We get to work on projects, answer phone calls, serve customers, participate in meetings, design, create, share, sell, lead and suit up every day for the game of life.
When I’m mentoring leaders I encourage them to focus on “get to” each day. I encourage them to focus on feeling grateful instead of stressed. The research shows we can’t be stressed and thankful a the same time so when you are feeling thankful and focusing on “get to” you fuel up with the positive emotions that uplift you rather than the stress hormones that slowly drain you. People who do this, report feeling more energized, productive and engaged at work and home.
Sure there will be challenges and life isn’t easy but if we approach each day as an opportunity to learn, grow and be thankful we will live a more meaningful and powerful life.
(Thanks to Jon Gordon)
(Special offer, click on image below)
Not What John “Imagined”
Not wanting to sound pessimistic, but it does appear we might be further away than ever from the world John Lennon encouraged us to “Imagine”. . .
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
(Lyrics by John Lennon)
The Miller Minute 