Demand More of Yourself — Compete for What is Yours
Some day, if we’re fortunate, we will wake up each morning, and in some shape, form or fashion, pursue our life’s work. This is attainable when we compete hard and long enough, with persistence, patience and an attitude of expectancy.
Maybe you’re just beginning to think of what a rewarding life this would be; what doing the work you were placed on this earth to do might look like. Maybe you’re wondering whether it will be your full-time job, part-time job or just a hobby. Maybe, you’re on the path now. Better yet, maybe, you’ve even arrived at that moment.
Along the way, you will have already established your mission and purpose. Your hours, days and years of learned experiences will be worth their weight in gold as you develop your acumen, and steel your resolve to compete harder and with greater dedication each day. When you get there, the feeling of self-fulfillment and peace of mind will have been worth all the toil and time.
But even then, not all of the work that you do will make you jump for joy. Let’s face it, there are lousy parts of every job.
The fun and boring, good and bad parts of each job all combine to educate us, keep us honest and make us the people we are. The whole package of output that we generate enriches us, if we remain focused on our goals and pursuit of success. Everything that we are and what we become in our professional pursuits is earned through the way we compete for our goals and dreams.
And compete, we must, if we expect to improve and reach the lofty goals we set forth for ourselves.
Compete With Maximum Attitude and Effort
Today’s post is an invitation for you to recharge your batteries and give deeper thought to the way that you compete — the methods and techniques you employ in developing your mindset for how you approach all of your chosen endeavors.
Compete in all that you do with maximum intensity, attitude and effort. I am inviting you to take on a competitor’s mindset because I believe that you must have one in order to be successful. Please note, before you question my motives, that I’m not asking you to worry about competing with others for what you hope to achieve. Far from it.
I wrote recently about the need to be consistent in our approach and to emulate role models who we admire and respect for their character and accomplishments. I encourage that you do this without envy or anxiety. We should all aspire to our own perceived standard of greatness. This standard is showcased by a person or people that we have observed, and who have established this standard before our eyes.
But before I get too far ahead of myself, let me allow Super Bowl Champion Head Coach Pete Carroll, of the Seattle Seahawks, to explain my thesis for this post,
“The only competition that matters is the one that takes place within yourself.”
Do you want to spark a fire from within to meet your goals and live out your dreams? Get competitive with yourself. This takes discipline, resoluteness and courage. When we find those we’d like to model our behavior after, we have a great example — and plan — for beginning our quest. But there’s more to it than just that.
Demand More Of Yourself
We need to steel our minds to elicit the greatest output that we can produce. No matter what it is you’re setting yourself up to accomplish: building a successful career as a musician, selling your first painting, making VP at your bank or taking the necessary steps to complete your degree, you need mental toughness to forge ahead.
When we fortify our minds from outside distractions, change our habits to become more industrious and mentally prepare ourselves for all that lie ahead, we set ourselves up for success. I’d add that by offering up our work as a tribute to the people who inspire us — and to God — we sow the seeds of love and gratitude that lead to transformational, positive impacts.
Compete every day and dedicate your hard work as a sacrifice and act of love to those who love you. Hard work can become sacrifice, which in turn is a tribute as an act of love. When I sit down in moments of solitude and reflection, I think of ways that I can exert greater effort and maximize what I put into each part of my day.
I want to take more pride in what I do. So much so, that I’ve made that part of my mission statement. I hold myself accountable by reviewing it frequently.
I aim to work hard to support my friends, family and loved ones. I remind myself each day of the way I want to treat the people who I love and of the way I want to open myself up to people I don’t know. Our love, our depth of who we are as people, is elastic. What I mean is, we can continue stretching and building this muscle by our actions.
We increase in muscle strength and memory as we get more repetitions! We can become more competitive with ourselves.
This takes effort, courage and love. We can lift the spirits of others by being kind and unselfish, two of the foremost qualities that let people know we care.
Win Forever, Like Coach Carroll Says
“It’s (competition) about being the very best you can be. Nothing else matters as long as you’re working and striving to be your best. Always compete. It’s truly that simple. Find the way to do your best. Compete in everything you do.” — Coach Pete Carroll
The answer for the way we choose to compete lies in these above words. We’ll find the way to do our best when we endeavor to give things our all. We will avoid laziness. We can go half-way. Or three-quarters of the way. But we’ll only ever meet with mediocre results that way.
When we give our best effort, we see our best results. It may not happen right away, but it’s as sure as the sun’s rise in the east each morning that we eventually will get the results that we desire if we keep going.
Eventually, you’ll see measurable results and outcomes that mirror the work you put in. Compete and see your results. Compete with yourself and demand everything you can from the mind and body that God gave you. You’ll start winning the small and large battles in your life. You’ll waste less and less energy on the insignificant things that don’t matter. Your victories will become a way of life.
What do you think?
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