the only standard that matters

There’s one standard that speaks for itself.

And that’s excellence.

It’s a powerful word when you hear it. But what does it really mean?

For me, excellence means taking on the status quo of yesterday as a welcome challenge to improve upon today.

And you’re as good as you can be when you live your daily life with it.

“Excellence is to keep beating your own standards every day. If you don’t have a standard for yourself, you have no records to beat; and if you don’t have any record to beat, you can’t excel. What is your current standard?”

― Israelmore Ayivor

So why wouldn’t you make excellence your standard with anything you apply yourself to?

For some people, when they hear the word, they clam up.

Because they assume that it implies perfection that they must live up to at all times.

But this is a misinterpretation that leads to the kind of pressure that’s enough to intimidate anyone. And that only leads to defeat and disappointment.

This isn’t about pressure.

It’s about striving to be better…to the best of your ability.

Because that’s all anyone can ever ask of themselves. So I’ll ask you again, why not make excellence the standard to which you operate in every aspect of your life?

Here are 5 ways to do it:

1. Emphasize your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. This is what leads to the continuous pride in your performance. And in return, reinforces the standard of excellence.
2. Hold yourself accountable. You can do this by setting benchmarks and living up to them by keeping a daily journal.
3. Reflect and adjust your behaviors and assumptions. And notice what led to any difference between what was supposed to happen and what actually happened.
4. Be consistent. Prioritize excellence as a habit because how you do one thing is how you do everything.
5. Get a coach. Hire a trained professional who will guide you with applied knowledge and objective feedback. And that promotes a higher level of accomplishment.

Combined, they build momentum towards becoming bulletproof.

Now if you haven’t noticed already, the first part of excellence is EXCEL.

As an Athlete For Life, that is your mission.

And I’m here to help.

Today is a new day and a new opportunity to be better.

In excellence,

Adam