Reach for Your Greatness

STOP FIGHTING TO BE AVERAGE - REACH FOR GREATNESS
 
If you’re not reaching for greatness, ask yourself if you’re fighting to be average. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll probably see that you could be doing so much more.
 
Very often, you may work IN it so hard that you don’t step back to work ON it. Search for and try new options and strategies; shake things up a little bit and see how you can get much better results in all areas of your life.

“There are countless ways of attaining greatness.  But any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence,

and a rejection of mediocrity.”  — Buck Rodgers, IBM

If you want greatness in your life, it is not won within the circle of mediocrity.  You need to push beyond this area in the level of excellence.  You know the difference between what’s comfortable and what requires you to stretch.  So Stretch!  Pick something, anything, that you want to change about yourself and everyday make those decisions that will push you into living a life of passion and excellence.
 
7 - Steps To Keep From Ever Being Labeled “Average” Again

Are you fighting to be “average”? Are you where you thought you would be by this time in your life? Are you at your full earning potential, achieving ongoing distinctions, enjoying the home and lifestyle you desire? If you discover a gap between current performances and your attainable potential, follow these seven steps to keep from ever being labeled “average” again.

1. Purpose precedes plan:  You need to be very clear on the compelling reasons for you to move toward greatness. Why will you go for it? What are your dreams? Only you can make a decision to change your direction now. Do not focus just on what it will cost you if you do not change. Spend more time asking, “what if” you do change. What are all the positive ramifications? Once you know your “why” then you can create your game plan to get there.

2. Don’t just talk about it; make a commitment to do it:  Many people want to take their performance to the next level. Unfortunately, their “want-to” and their “will-do” rarely coincide. Commitment is hard. Commitment to “greatness” is even harder. Adversity and set-backs are a given. Don’t let past satisfaction with “good” weaken your commitment to be “great.”

3. Evaluate small changes that could notably enhance your performance:  Years of experience don’t automatically ensure excellence. It is proven that making even subtle changes to enhance that interaction has resulted in better treatment outcomes and cost of care. Record yourself during interactions with colleagues or clients. Simply state you are trying to improve your communications skills and set the recorder aside. Evaluate yourself from every aspect. Listen to your voice tone and quality. Were you the dispenser of enthusiasm or more like Eeyore? Were you really listening? Are you precise, clear, and to the point? Self evaluation is often a brutal eye-opener. You may not be as “good” or “great” as you once envisioned yourself.

4. Be willing to do the hard work up front:  Consistency comes from discipline, and both are essential as you prepare for greatness. Imagine new ways you can prepare: Instead of just winging it on a sales call, for example, jump on the company web site and research, find out who among your colleagues knows the customer, and determine which testimonials will be most effective. Create a check list of everything you need to accomplish. The bottom line is, you’re not always going to win, but don’t fool yourself about why you didn’t succeed. There is no excuse for lack of preparation.

5. Make the positive choice:  If you’re married, does your spouse have any faults? Are there some things you do not like about your job? When we’re around anything (or anyone) long enough, we tend to take it for granted and see only the negatives. Choose to focus on the positive. Be your own best coach, not your own worst enemy. Praise yourself and others for their positive actions, and learn to accept setbacks and put them behind you quickly. See what you can learn from a negative situation and then move on —next!

6. Devote 4% of your day to achieving excellence:  Work on a single point of excellence for just one hour of your day, every day, or 7 of 168 hours per week. Pick an area first that you have the most passion for. What would get you excited? What will have the most ripple effect on your life? Taking this small amount of time- 4% of your daily life-to improve yourself may be difficult at first, but it’s a gift to others, too. If you’re not excited about what you’re doing and getting good results, or if you feel like you’re letting yourself, your organization and colleagues, your partner and kids down, then you have to carve out an hour to improve your most valuable resource: yourself.

7. Find and focus:  When you play darts, if you want to hit triple 20, you look at that small inner ring, not the whole dart board. The prescription for overcoming mediocrity consists of first finding one area to get right, one area to strive for excellence in, and to work diligently at that. Everyone has gifts and possibilities and you deserve to realize the full potential of those gifts. One new area of excellence can shift your identity and the image you have of yourself. By doing just one thing very well, you begin to crack the monolith of mediocrity. And then you choose your next step, and the crack grows even wider on your path from very good to great.

“Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity.

The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights
are to be found only in studying the exemplary.” 
- Warren G. Bennis
 
DAILY PRAYER  
Jesus came to bring us abundant, refreshing new life.  God has given you a wisdom that He placed in you before you were born.
 
Lord, may be fully tap the wisdom you placed within us, and reflect the abundant, refreshing life of Jesus to all that we come in contact with — whether it be in person, by telephone or e-mail. 
In Jesus name, Amen.
 
Reach for the greatness that releases the full potential within you.  Don’t let your epitaph say “Assignment Uncompleted, Purpose Unfilled.”
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you.