The difference between good and great for most people is not talent or ability – it’s discipline.
Can you find the discipline to do what you don’t want to do, even though you know you need to do it? And the trick is, you can’t just do it once. You have to develop the habit to consistently do what you need to do and to make progress everyday.
Getting even 1% better everyday should be our goal. If we stay in our comfort zone, we will plateau early. But if we keep pushing the limits every day, in 10 years you will be amazed by how far you’ve come.
I hear people say all the time that you only should focus on “running your own race” and not worry about what anyone else is doing. I agree that you need to turn your attention inward to be happiest with your effort (and, if applied correctly, with your results).
BUT we’re human and most people thrive on competition among other similarly-skilled individuals. If you’re working out with someone or next to someone, you’re much more likely to push yourself a little more to keep up with or to beat that person.
Having intrinsic motivation will lead to better consistency (like getting out of bed and going to the gym when you don’t feel like it). External motivation will lead to better results (once you’ve gotten to the gym). So while you shouldn’t rely on always needing to have external motivation, it’s a nice way to enhance your results.
“The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” – Charles Schwab
If you want to bring out the best in people, you must work on how you communicate with them. Here are some quick tips:
Be firm, but fair.
Be gracious.
When they do something good, reinforce that behavior by praising them for their effort.
Show your appreciation for them and provide encouragement.
Help them develop a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset.
If they haven’t done something right, it’s a learning experience, not a failure.
They can get to where we need them to be with the right attitude, practice, and learning from their mistakes (and the mistakes of others).
Occasionally, you may need to push them a little. People like their comfort zone. But if they want to reach their full potential, they will need to go outside of it.
Hold them accountable. If they say they’re going to do something, check in with them to make sure they’re on track to complete it. If they need help, you can help them brainstorm, but don’t just give them the answer. If you do this then they will always bring their problems to you and not try to think of solutions on their own.
Some of us set goals (or have New Years resolutions) and feel like we did something just by writing them down.
Some of us start out with good intentions to accomplish the goals we wrote down, but when motivation wanes, when things get tough, or life gets in the way, we conveniently forget about our goals or discard them.
Some of us accomplish our New Years resolutions early in the year, not because we’re overachievers, but because we set the bar too low (almost like a checklist that has “brush teeth” on it).
And some of us achieve our goals and then relax or return to bad habits to celebrate the accomplishment. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating wins (big and small), and I actually think it’s important to note how far you’ve come. But don’t get complacent. Don’t celebrate too long or get too far off-track. It’s time to get back to work. Just because you’ve accomplished a goal doesn’t mean you’re finished. After all, you’re still alive, right? Everyday, you can get better. Strive to be better than who you were yesterday.
Part of winning is not being afraid of losing, of looking dumb, of not being “the best” at something…you have to keep pushing your limits. If you want to continue winning in life, you must always be learning and improving. You may be naturally good at certain things, but if you don’t work to improve your game, everyone around you will catch and surpass you.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Don’t let fear overcome you. Just go out and get to work.
