We all have people who are our inspiration. Maybe it’s an olympic player who has dedicated her life to her sport despite challenges and setbacks. Maybe it is an entrepreneur who defied all societal norms and created a successful business. Their commitment to excellence is inspiring and can light a spark within you. But how do you get there?
Adopt a Growth Mindset
In order to be excellent, you have to adopt a growth mindset. If you see someone who inspires you, rather than wondering whether you can also achieve greatness, ask what steps you need to take to achieve it. Believe in yourself, regardless of how impossible it may feel at first.
Set a Daily Intention
Achieving excellence is not a one-time thing. It is a daily commitment to strive to do your best and continuously evolve. Every day, you have to wake up and think about what steps you can take to move closer to your goal. For example, if you want to be healthy, going to the gym one time won’t be enough, even if you have an incredible workout. You have to show up for your goals every day. Remember, consistency will always beat short term intensity.
Make a Conscious Decision
To attain excellence, you cannot just go with the flow. You have to make a conscious decision to take actions that align with your goals. If you want to be the best artist in the world, you must dedicate yourself to working on your craft at least once a day. But with social commitments, to-do lists, errands to run, adulting, and chores, it is easy to get lost in the flow of daily life. That’s why you must consciously create time to practice and improve if you want to attain excellence.
Let’s say you achieve excellence. Then what?
Maintain Humility
No matter how good you are at something, there is always room for improvement. Human beings have a tendency to always progress and grow. This is evident in how far we have come as a society, too. If we thought we achieved excellence, and stayed happy and satisfied with it, we would have never created the world we live in today.
Perhaps we would be okay with horses as transportation and the telegram as a means of communication. But, we continue to progress. So even when you feel like you have achieved excellence, stay humble because there is still room for improvement. And even as you grow, sooner or later someone else will come who is better than you or faster than you or more talented than you. Staying humble can help you continuously push your own boundaries and become better.
