March 3rd, 2016 12:08 PM by Korene L Clopine-Seaman
Whether you are taking on a new role or looking to improve your professional success in your career, industry, or profession sometimes it takes a little help or direction to help you move in the right direction. I offer you the following character traits to help you learn from others who have had what it takes to be successful in YOUR pursuit of GREATNESS:
1. The Greatest Now What They Truly Want. At some point in their lives, the greatest have a “LIGHT BULB GLOW IN THE DARK!” moment when their vision becomes clear. Suddenly they realize what they really, truly want to achieve. They find their passion! When that happens they are ready to strive for greatness. They are ready to pay the price.
2. The Greatest Want IT More. We all want to be great. Only the greatest of the great are willing to do what it takes to be GREAT. The greatest do not just think about their desire for greatness; they act on it. They have a high capacity for work. They pay the price that that others will not do, and they spend more time doing it to achieve the goals that others only dream about. When everyone else is playing, resting, or sleeping, the greatest are practicing, thinking, planning, improving, and striving to reach their goals.
3. The Greatest Are Constantly And Forever Striving To Get Better. They are always looking for ways to learn, apply, improve, and grow. They stay humble but hungry. They are lifelong learners. They never think they have “arrived” because they know that once they think that, they will start sliding back to the place from which they came.
4. The Greatest Do Ordinary Things Better Than Everyone Else. For all their greatness, the greatest are not that much better than the others. They are simply a little better at a lot of things. Everyone thinks that success is complicated, but it is really simple. In fact, the greatest do not do anything different. The greatest just do the ordinary things the best.
5. The Greatest Stay Concentrated On The Focal Point. Success is all about the fundamentals, and the fundamentals are little and ordinary and often boring. It’s not just about practice, but focused practice. It’s not just about taking action, but taking zoom-focused action. It is about practicing and perfecting the fundamentals time and time and time again and then time again until ALL aspects are perfected and the best they can achieve...
6. The Greatest Are Mentally Stronger. Today’s world is no longer a sprint or a marathon. It’s a series of sprints combined with a boxing match. You are not just running; you are getting hit along the way. The greatest are able to respond to and overcome all of this with mental and emotional toughness. They are able to tune out the distractions and stay calm by being focused and energized when and where it counts. We all get knocked down and stubble or fall at time. The greatest look at their purpose and plan, pick them self up, learn from the fall or failure, and pursue with even more determination and courage their goals and not linger over the past except to learn and grow from these times.
7. The Greatest Overcome Their Fear. The greatest of the greatest have fear, but they overcome it. Everyone has fears. To beat your enemy, you must know your enemy. Average people shy away from their fears. They either ignore them or hide from them. However, the greatest seek them out and face them with the purpose of conquering them.
8. The Greatest Seize The Moment. When the greatest are in the middle of their performance, they are not thinking “What if I win?” or “What if I lose?” They are not thinking “What if I make a mistake or miss the shot?” They are not interested in what the moment produces but are concerned only with what they produce in the moment. When all eyes are watching, they rise to the occasion. As a result, the greatest define the moment rather than letting the moment define them.
9. The Greatest Are Secure Enough In Who and What They Are To Share What They Have Learned Without Being Threatened BY Someone Else's Success. Their success is defined not by clawing to get over others but reaching to lift others up to the level they have already achieved while constantly striving to achieve more, to become more, and to learn more themselves.
10. The Greatest Leave A Legacy. The greatest live and work with a bigger purpose. They leave a legacy by making their lives about more than themselves. This larger purpose is what inspires them to be the greatest and strive for greatness over the long term. It helps them move from success to significance.
11. The Greatest Make Everyone Around Them Better. They do this through their own pursuit of excellence and in the excellence they inspire in others. One person in pursuit of excellence raises the standards of everyone around them. They do this in their work, life, and relationships with others…The point is to strive to be your greatest and inspire others to be their greatest, because it is in the striving where you find greatness, not in the outcome.
12. The Greatest Tap into a Power Greater Than Themselves. The greatest are conductors, not resistors. They do not generate their own power, but act as conduits for the greatest power source in the world. It is not always politically correct, but you cannot talk about greatness without talking about God. It would be like talking about breathing without mentioning the importance of air or oxygen. It can not be done!