“If you’re willing to do for a year what others won’t, you can live for the rest of your life the way others can’t.” Author Unknown

This quote has been sticking in my mind for the past few weeks. Such a simple statement but so true as my teenaged kids say in RL (real life). Becoming something great (whatever that may be) requires that you do the things that others COULD do, but don’t.

Remember back to your third grade class, how many of your classmates went on to become doctors, lawyers, CPA’s or engineers. Maybe you did, but maybe you are like me and moved forward in life without those honors. Many of my friends invested the time and effort doing what the rest of us did not and now they have the credentials to prove it. They were not smarter, more talented, or blessed in ways that I was not they just did what I was not willing to do. BTW, I might argue that they would have been better off becoming sales professionals but I will save that thought for another post.

Stop and think about this for a moment, isn’t it exciting? The 10% edge that you are looking for rests right in your hands. All you need to do is identify where everyone else stops, and do those things. Equal opportunity here…. applies when you are in a job search, running a business, managing a group, or starting off your career.

My dad was my first example of this concept in action. He started off working in a factory attending engineering classes at night. Not much of a lifestyle, and not what most of us would choose. Five kids and years later he got that engineering degree, launching himself into a successful engineering career in the auto industry.

Embracing this concept is critically important in today’s economy. Turn off the news and partner up with those that are successful they will give you the clues of what you need to do to go the extra mile and find success.

Hoping that the next time we connect our conversation starts off this way….”I got to the successful outcome I was looking for because I was willing….”