Are You Selling Yourself Short?
For the past 3 days I have been at the business conference with Rachel & Alwyn Cosgrove of Results Fitness University, where all the attendees (including myself) want to take their game to the next level. I listened for hours to the most detailed business plans, marketing strategies and operations protocols—all awesome, actionable stuff. And well worth it.
But, the #1 take-away for me personally, was to start building my individual sense of self-worth. I think on the whole I am pretty self-confident, even though I have my moments of insecurity. But what I learned was that in order to really, really get to the next level, I have to OWN my potential. I think in many ways I have become complacent: “Ah, it’s fine. I’m fine. It’ll do. I am getting by ok, doing pretty good.” etc etc. But what I am actually doing is simply settling for good. Jim Collins said, “Good is the enemy of great” and I believe that many of us (myself included) get comfortable in the “good”-ness of what we are doing, that we forget about our potential to strive for greatness. Of course, there is something to be said for being grateful and happy in the here and now–gratitude is invaluable in terms of our personal sense of fulfillment. But can we become too comfortable? Accept “goodness” when “greatness” is still a possibility?
One person who I really look up to in this realm is Jade. Ever since I have met him he has strived for greatness. He is someone who is never truly satisfied. And although I sometimes tease him that no matter how successful he is, he will never be completely happy, he has truly mastered the art of feeling gratitude in the present, while maintaining excitement and drive for the future.
Winston Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” This kind of attitude is incredibly powerful, but also very rare. How many times have small letdowns, disappointments or obstacles beat us down, little by little? Many times without us even knowing it? Without mindfulness about our attitude, our direction and constant reassessment of our drive, we can get lost in the “okay”-ness of it all. And before we know it, years have gone by and we have drifted. We have done only what was in front of us, head down and grinding it out, never looking up in order to choose our direction.
Obviously, it is never too late to choose your direction, to CHOOSE to be great. The conference for me was not only an eye-opener, but also a “head-lifter.” :) Am I doing good? Yes. But when I think about it, do I really want great? YES!
If you are like me, and feel like you want to quit being good and tackle the greatness, what can you do to maximize your potential? Here are a few next steps that I am taking…
1) Decide what you want to be great AT. Is it to have a bangin’ bod, the leanest of them all? Is to become a IFBB Figure pro? Is it to take your business to the next level? Is it to land a modeling contract or a supplement sponsorship? Is it to become a Master Level Instructor with Les Mills or get your online business up and running? Take time with this, key into your values and your purpose. If you want to land a modeling contract, why? How does that add to your personal fulfillment and future goals? Write out your WHYS.
2) Get Focused. We have talked a lot lately about getting focused if you want to be successful. That is true. You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. At least not at once. Get laser focused, and GET RID of extraneous stuff that does not propel you forward on your path to greatness.
3) Do SOMETHING. Like Nike says, just do it. Anything. Heard this week: “A good now is better than a perfect never.” Exactly. You can always adjust on the fly. But if you fail to get started, you can never learn, grow and get better. Start with something small and easy, build a sense of accomplishment, and then take on the biggest tasks later. Ready, fire, aim, aim, aim, aim….
4) Stay flexible. Be open to change. Just because you said you wanted one thing doesn’t mean you will always want that. Maintain awareness of your happiness, sense of fulfillment and excitement over what you are doing. If your excitement turns to resentment, get out. You simply cannot become great at something you aren’t passionate about. And you may not know what you are not passionate about until you begin.
5) Understand it will take time. It’s not luck. It’s preparedness + opportunity. Get your mind wrapped around the fact that in order to be great at something, you need focus, effort & expertise. These things take time to hone and develop. You cannot take your game to the next level overnight. But the good news for you is that you can start right THIS SECOND with ONE SMALL STEP, and you will be that much closer. Get moving! :)
What are you working towards? Have you drifted somewhere unexpectedly? How are you going to get back on track? I’d love to hear from you! ox Jill
Related: Dreams really do come true: My story
