Commitment & Perseverance = Extraordinary Performance
I have always loved and played
the game of basketball. Still, on 25 different occasions I
was handed the opportunity to take the game winning shot and
I missed...
...as my team mate "would
you be willing to give me one more opportunity at the game
winning shot?"
Would 9000 more missed shots
be enough for you to say enough!
You probably wouldn't have
given me another chance and maybe you would have started to
look for another player, or would you?
The stats I shared are real.
Just in case you haven't figured
it out, they are not my stats. They are the stats of one of
the greatest basketball players ever to play the game: "Michael
Jordan!"
Have you missed a few shots
or made a few mistakes? So what, get over it!
Did you know that Jordan was
even cut from the varsity team? He didn't "quit!"
He practiced, and often. Here's what I know is true. Michael
worked hard to become the great player he was. Was it easy?
No! Was there doubt? Yes! In fact Jordan was convinced as
a youth, that until he was taller he wasn't going to be as
good a player as he wanted to be.
Jordan finally learned from
his father that practice, determination, and a commitment
to playing his best were the ingredients of a champion. Jordan
made the commitment to be a great basketball player. He literally
devoted his life to the game.
What about you, what are you
committed to? In your work, are you just going through the
motions?
Are you waiting for someone
else to give you a chance? Even worse, have you given up and
decided that something better isn't possible. Either way,
there still is another option and it requires you to take
a stand. It requires you to "make a commitment to YOU
and what you want!"
Take time to consider, are
you really committed? If so, what are you committed to? What
is it you want? You are sitting on a bench facing a basketball
court and on the court there are a couple of people each with
a basketball. One person is simply sitting on the court with
the ball between their legs, not showing much interest. The
second person is taking one shot after another. Despite the
many misses she keeps on shooting. In fact you can sense that
she is a little frustrated with the number of misses. Who
are you more inclined to want to reach out to? The one who
is taking the shots, and out there making an effort.
How different is this scenario
from your business or work environment? If you are the boss,
which of your employees are you most likely to offer an opportunity?
If you are an employee, who is it that seems to be given the
most opportunities on your job? (Sure there will be exceptions.
Just know that they exist and that they are just that "exceptions!")
Just like in sports, more
often than not, it is the person who is committed to something
and who is out there making an effort and taking action that
will command the most attention.
Why would it be any different?
After some 2,000 tries, and
a year and a half of work he finally found success. It is
one of the most shared stories out there, and as I sit here
writing this article I can tell you why. In a phrase "let
there be light!" The impact from Thomas Edison's commitment
to creating the practical incandescent light bulb has benefited
billions of people.
Edison, just like Jordan,
was committed to finding a way.
How far are you willing to
go to achieve what you want? Do you even know what you want?
What about you? Is there something keeping you from going
all out? Are you playing, working, and living everyday at
110%? Both Jordan and Edison were committed!
Each had a vision that kept
them going with every failed attempt. When Jordan was tired
and was ready to call it a day, he would close his eyes and
see the lockers without his name. Suddenly, he wasn't tired.
For Edison it was a lifetime of reading, and learning that
inspired him.
Edison was known for saying
things like:
"Genius is one per cent
inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."
"I am not discouraged,
because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."
Did Edison stop with the incandescent
light bulb, no! He immediately went to work creating a method,
a system, to deliver power to the location of the light bulb.
Without power the light bulb wasn't much more than a novelty.
Decide what you want and be committed.
Learn what motivates you best
and use it. Don't worry about having all of the answers. Don't
worry about being the best.
Focus on being consistent!
It is so important to realize
that your results are "NOT YOU!" Your results are
simply "the results."
Your results are an indicator
for you to either change course or not. If you don't like
your results then change what you are doing. Before you can
achieve something that is out of the ordinary you must be
committed to something more than surviving.
Like Edison said: "Hell,
there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something."
What is it you are wanting to accomplish? If your trying to
do everything, stop!
Pick one thing and do it "EXTREMELY
WELL!" Heck,why not be the best you can be at what you
choose? Being the best you can be doesn't mean you have to
be the most talented.
The world is full of talented
and extraordinary people living ordinary lives in quiet desperation,
waiting for a miracle.
STOP WAITING!
You always have a choice,
it's your life! It is always "YOUR CHOICE!" Remember
that commitment and perseverance = Extraordinary Performance
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= Extraordinary Performance By James Smith Web
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