A sure path to failure

I know I have said these words – “Every single day you get up and do something to improve your life you are succeeding. Failure is a myth if you learn and go forward from each “failure”. However, you are failing yourself if you know the difference yet still accept mediocre performance from yourself. A classic reason for accepting mediocre performance and compromising excellence is the fear of upsetting others. This more than anything will guarantee failure at a high level. People who succeed in any profession have drive, ambition and a quest to do things well. These people are often labelled ‘difficult’ to work with because they will not accept average. This does not mean they don’t make mistakes or that they will not listen to reason. Their minds are agile, their spirit adventurous and their tolerance for mediocre low. Not everyone is like this and that's okay but being different means that getting ahead is standing out from the crowd which is uncomfortable and can act as a deterrent. The point is if you want to standout, you are by default not part of the crowd and this can be a difficult place. Ironically so often those who urged you to conform are often the first to say how they knew you before your success and hold you up as a beacon. If you are a go-getter with lofty ambitions, choose very carefully who you listen to because the reality is you have to be brave and make mistakes to get anywhere. As long as you learn from missteps you are still going forward. If those helping you on the journey cannot handle the blunt honesty that can create a breakthrough sometimes needed, then the problem lies with them. In life there are those who tell us what we want to hear and advise against the "nasty bearers of truth" who don't have our backs like they do! Remember to stay open to blunt advice and evaluate it carefully because we all need to be challenged. Surrounding yourself with people who only say ‘yes’ to you is a terrible place to be and a sign that you need to change things. Intelligent conflict and debate are crucial to excellence so embrace people who challenge. We don’t have to like someone in order to learn from them. In the "Play to gain" chapter of my book Locker Room Power https://amzn.to/2wvXGeo I explain how often it is the people closest to us that pull us back through their own fears or ignorance of operating at a high level. Be respectful but never confuse a drive for quality as meaning you are not a good person. The worst quote in my opinion is “nice guys finish last.”