What's the secret to excellence?
Have you ever wondered, as I have, why... although, two men may have the same level of education, same amount of resources, same business savvy...
Yet, one seems to enjoy a bigger slice of the pie of success than the other?
What does Mr A know that Mr B doesn't?
Well, on the surface, if we choose to judge this matter the way the world judges success....
We'll probably end up drawing a flawed conclusion that Mr A knows some dark mysterious secret he's hiding from his good ol friend!
On the other hand, if we look at this from an unbiased point of view, you'll probably realize that there's no secret at all....
And in fact, the reason Mr A excels superbly well in business and in life, is because he realized very early on that the true secret to excellence was a....
Capital Q.
As you'll soon see, it's simple..... straight to the point and doesn't require any needless psychological trigonometry!
And it's this:
To be excellent at what you do, you must....
Quit making excuses
Quit being mediocre
Quit wasting time on irrelevant stuff that doesn't put a dime in your pocket
Quit hanging around folks who talk down on your abilities, talents, skills
Quit complaining. Start getting shit done! Take full responsibility!
Quit anything that stands in the way of doing what you have to do to become a pro in your field.... a thought-leader in your niche.... someone to be looked up to...
And don't get me wrong...
Excellence doesn't mean perfect or that you have to spend 92 hours every day doing the same thing over and over....
No, it simply means putting in your best and enjoying every minute of the process..... Yes! Excellence is like....
A Round Of Sex!
You actually have to enjoy it for it to make sense to You!
That's why I strongly believe that to be excellent at what you do....
You should do what you enjoy doing.... this way, you don't have to struggle for motivation.... because all the motivation you'll ever need is already....
Inside You!
This is why I hardly ever struggle to write.
Because I love writing like politicians love manipulating the people.
Okay. Okay, maybe that's not the best of analogies but you catch my drift right?
The entire process of writing defines excellence for me. I enjoy every bit of it, and it is almost effortless.... it's like an obsession.... a call to save humanity with the power of my pen....
I think I am trying to make a point here but damn it, I can't place my finger on it.
So I'll just proceed and leave my final thoughts with you on this thing about excellence and quitting all that bad stuff that stands in the way of your success with...
No Guilt Whatsoever!
It's like giving up drugs and knowing deep down that by quitting addictive substances, you're simultaneously improving the quality of your life.
Sure, it won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight.
Heck, I'm not gonna promise you it will be a fun ride, or that you won't feel like just going back to do things the old hard way.... But what I can promise you is this:
If you have the heart to quit mediocrity, and everything that keeps you from being the best at what you enjoy doing... (or at any other thing for that matter).....
Then I can assure you, it's not a matter of if, but when you'll look back and be glad you gave up poor habits and self-sabotaging practices!
And does this have anything to do with business and marketing?
You Bet!
If you want to sell your products and services with a streak of excellence, you need to quit what's obviously not working and start asking important questions from those who clearly, are ahead because...
They know what they're doing.
On the other hand, if you're getting some results but you'd love to do way better this quarter...
Then you gotta seek out what's working now in your industry.... keep an eye on successful businesses.... speak with experts..... buy courses.... join a mastermind (for some silly reason, I 've never liked that word)
My point, if there's any... is that you do whatever it takes to keep growing, regardless of how much success you think you're enjoying right now!
Thomas Watson, legendary CEO of IBM, said it best:
“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”
If I haven't passed the message across effectively, then shame on me.
Okay that's it about shame.
Here's something curious on this topic of excellence:
I remember one time I was in Abuja for an event, I was lodged in Hotel de Bentley, 2nd floor, Room 34B or so I forget.... Then during dinner at 6:45pm after arrival.... this strange looking (but beautifully dressed and seriously charming) woman starts walking towards my table... Sits on the opposite chair....
And the next thing I felt was ......
Aaahhh forget it!
Talk soon.
Andy.