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“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” – Eugene Delacroix

You need to focus on one thing at a time to achieve extraordinary results. When your focus is spread too thin, it becomes more difficult to achieve what you want. 

Chasing perfection is a fool’s errand. Perfection is unattainable. But if you realize this, and you don’t allow your pursuit of perfection to paralyze you, you can obtain some measure of excellence. 

Perfectionism comes with a built-in excuse for procrastination, because nothing will ever be perfect. But that shouldn’t stop you from taking action – improving the task at hand one step at a time. 

The difference between knowledge and wisdom is application. Knowledge is having the information, but not doing anything with it. Wisdom is having that knowledge, then using it (applying what you know). 

What separates you from anyone else? What makes you unique? How will you succeed? A lot of people have a college education. Nearly everyone in the United States a high school education. It’s not about how much education you get, or where you get your degree from, but rather it is what you do with the education you have. Whether that is through formal schooling, an apprenticeship, or learning through life experiences…Your actions will determine your future.

The best risk I’ve ever taken is asking my now wife for her phone number. It can be scary sometimes to put yourself in a position to be turned down or to “fail.” But the answer will always be “no” if you don’t ask. You may not always get what you want, but you’ll almost never get it if you don’t ask. If you’re not willing to take the chance to be rejected, you’ll always be wondering “what if?”…

After getting Allison’s phone number, we didn’t go out right away. In fact, she told me that she wasn’t ready to date anybody. That type of news can affect you. It can hurt you. But you can tuck your tail and walk away, or you can keep going.

When things don’t go your way, it’s decision time. You’re at a fork in the road…you can choose to go all in or pull back. Once again, it’s about taking risks. If you hedge your bets, trying to save face, you’re giving yourself an out. How can you expect to succeed if you don’t give it your all? But if you go all in and double down on your efforts, you will drastically improve your odds of success.

You have to weigh the potential costs and compare that to your benefits. Some risks are worth it. In my case above, the risk was being rejected, which could damage my ego. But the rewards could last a lifetime! It was definitely worth trying… 

Don’t be afraid to take risks. The rewards can be greater than you ever imagined.

The best leaders are the ones who make others around them want to work for the common goal of the team. They energize those around them…after leaving a meeting with this leader, others should be motivated to take action. 

The best leaders don’t lead through fear or intimidation. They lead through admiration. If those who are being led admire who they work for, they will work harder for them. 

The best leaders lead by example. They say and, more importantly, do the right things. They do not gossip and do not tolerate gossip from team members. 

The best leaders show accountability. They follow through and “walk the talk.” If they say they’re going to do something, they do it. 

They take ownership of things that don’t go according to plan. They do not point fingers. If they realize that they overpromised something that cannot be met, they admit it before the “due date,” explain why they may have stretched too far on their goal, and come back with a revised plan. 

The best leaders are humble and quick to point to others for the team’s success. They do not take all of the credit. They are one cog of a smoothly operating machine.