Why better is better than better
No matter what your current circumstances are, the first step to getting better is a commitment to do just that. It’s amazing how many companies, marketing gurus, mentors, coaches, lawyers and doctors, and even rocket scientists, like to present themselves as “the best.” Claiming that you are the best in any industry or area of expertise is simply false, or at least there is no way to measure it, even if it is true. At the end of the day, there is no way that any company or person can say that they offer the best of everything: service, quality or features. There are no standard metrics and we really have no idea who all the competitors are. Your competitive juices must continually flow to be better than the rest.
The good news is that you don’t need to be the best. You can be better. “The best” is an impossible standard that lacks credibility even though it may be backed up by testimonials, endorsements, and praise. Think about this; “better” is a more realistic statement and a much easier comparison to make. You can say that you are motivated, determined, driven to offer better service or products than anyone else in the area, and most importantly, to exceed your own great service every year. This seemingly minor claim is actually much more realistic, much more believable, and much more appealing.
The “best” standard also keeps you on your toes and keeps you moving quickly in a forward direction. You become fully aware that thinking you are better means you have to keep pushing, learning and improving because there is still room for improvement. Being the best is a note of purpose and only offers a short-term advantage.
Once you are the best, there is no incentive to try harder and laziness or complacency starts to set in and you risk getting hit from all sides by all the competitors…hit by everyone who works to be better. Now you know that for all those “best” out there who think their motivation is to stay the best, they’re just kidding themselves. The motivation to improve, to improve, is always more powerful than the false incentive to stay in one place, even if it is the best.
Any great athlete, company, or leader who is truly able to stay ahead of the curve for any remarkable period of time cannot do so because they believe they are the best, but because they show up every day to do better than their peers. most important competitor of all: themselves. Pushing yourself and those around you to be better is the only way to be better than the best.
As I send this message to your brain, you will remember that you can be better than the best any time you want, that is if you stay committed to the cause. Most of us, at some level or another, are familiar with what commitment means. Earlier we talked about the 3 C’s of life. Choice, Chance and Change. Well here goes another “C”, Commitment. Compromise is where the tire meets the tar. If you want to achieve the success you want in any area of your life and get better at whatever it is you do, you need to understand the essential elements needed to make it happen, to capture its magic. You have to be committed, genuinely committed to being better and better every day in every way.
Commitment also means promise, pledge, vow, obligation, security, word and guarantee.
To have a genuine commitment three things are required. The first is desire. The very fact that you are still reading here is more than enough proof that you have a strong desire, a longing desire. That feels so good, doesn’t it? You are on the way to a truly exciting, invigorating, refreshing, revitalizing, energizing, pleasurable, rewarding and unforgettable experience of your life. Stay with me as you realize that desire also means longing, longing, yearning, longing, need, aspiration, and plea.
You’re better than that. You can have the desires of your heart. You can make all your dreams come true.
The second is faith. You need to stay committed to faith. You need to have faith in the process. With your desire and your willingness to have faith in yourself, your commitment to be better will emerge to be stronger and stronger. You will feel amazing and it will strengthen and sustain you as you take charge of each and every one of your extraordinary talents and abilities that are unique only to you.
The third is Belief. On one of my many visits to the US, I was suddenly called from the West Coast to Houston, Texas. I had to take three connecting flights to the East Coast and landed in Atlanta, Georgia to catch the last connecting flight to Houston. The plane was not as full as on other flights and I was seated in a 4 seater section with a row of 2 seater across the aisle. A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties was sitting near the window across the aisle from me and she seemed to be lazily flipping through one of the flight magazines. We were about 15 minutes into the full flight when all of a sudden the plane shook violently and leveled off just as quickly as it had started. The first warning of trouble to come came when the sign on the plane lit up: “Fasten seat belts.” Then, after a while, a calm voice said, “We won’t be serving drinks right now because we’re expecting a little turbulence. Make sure your seatbelt is fastened.” As I looked around the aircraft, it became apparent that many of the passengers were becoming increasingly apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said: “We are very sorry that we cannot serve the passengers.” food right now, turbulence is still ahead of us.” And then the storm hit. Ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. The great plane was like a cork thrown around a heavenly ocean. One moment the plane rose in terrible drafts, the next, it fell as if it were about to crash. As I looked around the plane, I could see that almost all the passengers were upset and alarmed.
By now, people were frantically clutching at the front seats. My knuckles whitened as I realized that I had never experienced such severe turbulence in all my years of air travel. Then the plane seemed to go through a series of invisible speed bumps, at which point all the passengers panicked, but no one said a word and I burst out laughing. The young woman next to me by the window looked at me and asked how she could laugh when we seemed to be in such a dire situation. I told him not to worry and that this plane would never crash, especially since I was on board. “What do you mean?” she asked. I told him that everyone was safe as long as I was on the plane. She unbuckled her seat belt and ran across the aisle to sit next to me. She knew she was going to ask me more questions, but before she could, I asked if she was in high school or if she was going to college. Now, as if by a miracle, the plane was flying smoothly and I got to know that her name was Jessica and we were having a friendly conversation. Jessica told me that she had a problem everywhere she went because she was actually 32 years old, she was a trained psychologist who had her own practice but she looked 18 years old. I laughed again when I told her that she had a connection in the highest place and that she was safe as long as I was on board. My belief in God and my faith in his ability to protect me was what prompted me to speak out and confirm my belief. My belief was my consolation. My belief was my guiding light. What kept me from panicking was what I believe. Hans Selye, who is the pioneer in understanding human stress, was often asked the following question. “What is the most stressful condition a person can face?” His immediate and unexpected response: “Not having something to believe in.”
The good news is that you don’t have to believe what others have to say about you, you can believe what you have to say about yourself. What you need is the desire and enough faith to believe the steps you must take to be better and better. When you do this, you will be well on your way to achieving almost anything you want.