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Seth Godin Quote on Making The Decision To Excel

“The universal truth is beyond question – the only people who excel are those who have decided to do so.” ~ Seth Godin

Beyond the Quote (36/365)

Excelling is optional.  And so is the opposite.  The path of least resistance is the path most people decide to follow.  Why wouldn’t that be the case?  Naturally, we are lazy creatures.  We’re wired to conserve energy—both by expending less (moving less) and storing more (fat on your body)—so that we don’t starve to death if we can’t get more food.  These were critical adaptations that were made over the course of our existence as humans that kept us alive during harsh periods of existence.

Fortunately, for most of us today, we don’t have to worry about how or when we’ll get our next meal—food is, for the most part, readily available.  Unfortunately, this wiring is still prominent and leads most of us to do far less than we’re capable of doing.  If we want to excel in doing anything, we have to overcome our natural tendencies to be lazy and comfortable and we have to consciously decide, not just once, but over and over again to do more work than is necessary for survival.  Sounds exhausting right?  This is why excelling is so hard.

Let’s take a look at what it means to decide.  When a decision is made it means a formal conclusion has been drawn after consideration.  Many of us see the end product of a person who has excelled and decide that we want what they have too.  We see people who are in amazing shape, have achieved financial freedom, or have reached a certain level of status or position that we admire and after considering whether or not we might want that, of course, we decide we do.  It’s a no-brainer. What many of us don’t take into consideration when thinking about the end goals we decide we want, are the hundreds, thousands, even (dare I say) millions of decisions that have to be made in order to actually realize that end goal.

…Prove It

Deciding that you want what other people who excel have is easy.  Making the decision to overcome your natural tendencies, even once, is hard.  Following through on your decision over the long run and actually overcoming your natural tendencies over and over and over again is extraordinarily hard. But that’s what it means to excel—to be exceptionally good or proficient at, in this case, following through, overcoming your natural tendencies, completing that extraordinarily difficult series of tasks, etc.  By definition, excelling is reserved for the few who are willing to do more than the rest.

So let’s be clear, excelling is not something that is going to happen to you by chance.  Nobody is going to call you up and offer you financial freedom.  You’re not going to randomly get picked to be the next big social media influencer.   You’re not going to be looked at as extraordinary until you become extraordinary.  And the only people who ever become extraordinary are the ones who have decided to become so.  And we’re not talking about a “wishy-washy” decision to become extraordinary because you want some end product that somebody else has—no.  We’re talking about a firm decision to become extraordinary.

A firm commitment to the process and all that that commitment entails.  A resolution to confront and overcome natural tendencies and resistances and to go beyond what is minimally required.  Over and over and over again.  Every time you successful go above and beyond and handle tasks in extraordinary ways, you bring your resolution more and more to life.  Every failed attempt to go above and beyond and every decision to succumb to moods and emotions will bring you back down the path of normalcy.  It’s the ones who can stick to that original decision, that commitment, that resolution the longest, who will win.  This is an endurance game, not a sprint.  So what do you think?  Are you ready to commit?


This Post Became The Introduction For: 16 Powerful Jen Sincero Quotes from You Are A Badass


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