Category: Success

  • Winning is being better today than you were yesterday. Every day.

    You know, a hundred years ago, I was the Scottish national coach. I used to go around the tracks of Scotland, working with coaches.

    Every now and again, a little girl from this town or that town would turn up. I’d be working away, and I’d hear a little voice:

    “Mr. Dick!”

    Well, with a name like mine, you don’t turn around too fast, because you never know what’s going to be said next!

    “Mr. Dick! Mr. Dick!”

    “Yes?”

    “Will you coach me?”

    “Well, yes, but not at the moment, because I’m working with these people.”

    “Will you coach me later?”

    “Yes, fine.”

    “When?”

    “Look, when I’m finished with them, I’ll come and work with you.”

    “Where?”

    “Look, sit down in the stands. When I’m finished with them, I promise I’ll come and work with you.”

    “Promise?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Fine. See you!”

    The First Race Experience

    Now, after I finish working with them, I work with her.

    She’s nine years old, and she wants to run the 100 meters. I work with her for a few weeks, and then she goes to her first race.

    She lines up with seven other kids.

    “On your marks. Set. Bang!”

    She runs down the track and hurls herself at the finish line.

    Eighth out of eight. In 18 seconds.

    She comes back.

    “Oh, Mr. Dick, I was last!”

    “No, you weren’t last.”

    “Yes, I was!”

    “You ran 18 seconds!”

    “What do you mean?”

    “Well, you’ve smashed the 20-second barrier! And I had you down for 19 seconds. You’re a whole second faster than that! You know what this means?”

    “No.”

    “This means it’s your lifetime best performance. Your own personal world record!”

    “Really?”

    “Yes! In some ways, you’re a first.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “You’re the first athlete I’ve ever coached who’s run 18 seconds for the 100 meters!”

    Now listen. In a few weeks’ time, she’s got another race.

    What does she think winning is now?

    If she runs 17.9 seconds, she’ll grab a flag and run around the track!

    Because that’s what winning is.

    Redefining Winning

    Winning is being better today than you were yesterday. Every day.

    And if she keeps working at that, in a few weeks’ time she’ll be fighting with the other kids to get to the finish line.

    And you might think to yourself, “Well, surely winning now, Frank, is beating them?”

    Not if it’s in 19 seconds, it’s not!

    Or we’ve killed our definition.

    The reason you go into tough arenas in life is to be challenged to perform better.

    You cannot perform better if you’re not challenged.

    Listen, you don’t learn to climb mountains in life by going around them or asking somebody for a ladder.

    You learn to climb mountains by climbing mountains.

    By seeking out the really toughest challenges, because that’s what makes you perform better.

    And when you keep going at that, one day you’ll be a one and only.

    But the truth is…

    She always was, is, and will be.

  • Art & Fear

    You learn how to make your work by making your work. 

    You make good work by among other things making lots of work that isn’t good and gradually weeding out the parts that aren’t good. 

    Your work is your guide. 

    Art & Fear

  • Passion

    Passion

    It’s hard to think of an example of a very successful person who wasn’t also VERY passionate about his or her work. There are so many quotes about the importance of being passionate about your work if you want to be truly great. Don’t settle on a work path for money or security. Instead, focus on your passion first and foremost. Through that passion, you will find greatness.

    “If you love the hell out of what you’re doing, you’re usually pretty good at it and you wind up making your own breaks.” -Chuck Yeager

    “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. It’s a lot of hard work… and if you don’t love it, you’re going to fail.” -Steve Jobs

    According to Steve, the path forward towards greatness is so hard that the only way it’s possible to persevere and continue against all odds is to be so passionate about your work that nothing can stop you.

  • Never Satisfied

    The common trait among all successful people as they are never satisfied. They always keep pushing to get better and better and improve themselves, their companies, or the people aroudn them.

  • Grow or Be Comfortable?

    Grow or Be Comfortable?

    In life, you can either grow or be comfortable. Not both. You choose.

    Growing means you’re doing things that you are not good at or haven’t yet mastered. You’ll probably feel like a fool starting something new. But you’re growing. If you can can last through the discomfort then you can grow to new heights.

  • Go without…

    Go without…

    “Go without and see what you really need.” This is a stoic philosophy of “voluntary hardship” nicely summarized. Too often we get used to living a certain way and develop a dependence on things in our lives. Many of the things in your life you may not actually need. After all, what do you really need to live a good life? Not much if you pair it all down to the basics – safety, shelter, food, health, and family. What else is there?

    You can simplify your life and understand your true needs by going without something to see if you really need it. This especially applies to material things, but it can also be routines or people in your life. If after a brief experiment you find that you don’t need something then you can eliminate it from your life.

  • Nothing that has meaning is easy

    Nothing that has meaning is easy

    “To get anything of value, you have to sacrifice. The harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing. Nothing that has meaning is easy. Easy doesn’t enter into grown-up life.”

    -The Weather Man (2005)

  • Be a Rocket

    Be a Rocket

    You should be like a rocket. Rockets are constantly pinging home to ask if they are on course. They are almost always off course by a little bit so the pings are important to course correct. Every ping back will tell the rocket how to update its course. The rocket constantly receives guidance and corrects problems until it hits its target. On the one hand, it’s easy to point out how many mistakes the rocket makes on its journey and how often it is off course. But if it hits its target then none of that matters if in the end it hits its target.

  • Nerves

    Nerves

    If you’re nervous, it usually means you didn’t prepare enough.

  • What’s the worst that can happen?

    What’s the worst that can happen?

    This is a great thing to ask yourself when you’re a little nervous to move forward with something.

    Thinking about asking a guy/girl on a date, but scared to ask? What’s the worst that can happen? He/she says no… That’s not too bad.

    Want to start a business but can’t take the leap? What’s the worst that can happen? It doesn’t work out and you have to go back to your job (never burn bridges)….

    You will often find that the answer isn’t that scary when you ask yourself “What’s the worst that can happen?” Think about the downside and you’ll see it probably isn’t that bad.

    Conversely, you can also ask “What’s the best that can happen?” Think about the upside. Usually, you’ll find that the upside dramatically outweighs the downside. Yes, asking that guy/girl out may mean you get shot down. But it might also lead to your first date with your future spouse. Little downside, huge upside. Go for it!

    Hopefully this helps you push forward and do the things that you really want to do in your life.