For the most part, you are competing against yourself, not others. Sure, you have competition. And while competition can definitely motivate you, your main competition is with yourself. People implement ideas and get motivated through one of two different factors.

Inspiration Or Desperation Are The Reasons People Take Action.

 Inspiration is far better because desperation will usually result in you getting back to where you need to be, but rarely moving beyond that. Inspiration, on the other hand, can help you soar to levels you never even knew existed. Today, we want to discuss motivating yourself to go beyond the norm… and all the way…. to your very best. Why settle for less?

First…

Don’t Make The Mistake Of Comparing Yourself To Others.

You have no idea what others did to get to where they are. They may have sacrificed their family or their health and paid a heavy toll to get to where they are. You have no idea, so don’t be concerned with comparing yourself to others. I am not saying don’t learn from others, but don’t think your road to success should mirror someone else’s.

Always strive to do your very best. You know what that is and what that looks like. The beauty of doing your best is that you can’t do any better than that. Once you have done your best, the results are out of your hands. Enjoy what you have accomplished and don’t worry…. you did all you could. The mentor who taught me this lesson also told me…

To Worry Between Noon And 12:30 Every Day.

 So if a worry came into his mind, he would remind himself that he didn’t have to worry now, only between noon and 12:30. Then at noon, if he didn’t feel like worrying, he wouldn’t. Remember, when you do your very best, there is no reason to worry and that is a great way to live!

Put Yourself At War With Mediocrity.

The enemy of great is good, so don’t be satisfied with being average. Anybody can be average, so don’t consider yourself to be just another “anybody.” God designed you to be incredible, He has given you the tools to be that way, so why not use those tools and stand out among the crowd.

Satchel Page, the ageless baseball player who played a major league game in his sixties said: “Don’t look back, somebody might be gaining on you.” Satchel Paige is a great example of being your very best. In 2010, Sportswriter Joe Posnanski, while writing for Sports Illustrated, named Satchel Paige as the hardest thrower in the history of baseball. He based this, in part, on the following: “Joe DiMaggio would say that Paige was the best he ever faced. Bob Feller would say that Paige was the best he ever saw. Hack Wilson would say that the ball looked like a marble when it crossed the plate. Dizzy Dean would say that Paige’s fastball made his own look like a changeup.” Posnanksi further noted that, “for most of his career, Satchel Paige threw nothing but fastballs. Nothing. Oh, he named them different names - Bat Dodger, Midnight Rider, Midnight Creeper, Jump Ball, Trouble Ball - but essentially they were all fastballs. And he was still unhittable for the better part of 15 years. One pitch. It’s a lot like the Yankees great relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera, except he wasn’t doing it for one inning at a time. He was pitching complete games, day after day. That had to be some kind of incredible fastball.... [he was] perhaps the most precise pitcher in baseball history - he threw ridiculously hard and he also threw hundreds and hundreds of innings. He did all this in a segregated America, being one of the first African Americans to cross the color barrier and play major league baseball.”

Finally, Satchel said: “Ain’t No Man Can Avoid Being Born Average, But There Ain’t No Man Got To Be Common!”

The motto of Paige’s story: Everyday, determine that you will be better than what you were yesterday. To do that, be determined that you will strive to work hard, smart and focused. If you find yourself straying from your best, remind yourself that you have big dreams and that the world and your family are counting on you. God did not make you to be average, so let God do His work in you. Not only in business and your career, but in your personal life as well. Eat better, work out and work out harder, give more, go to bed earlier and get up earlier, read more and watch less TV.

Take Note Of What You Did Last Year Or Last Month And Beat It By 15% Or More.

In John Maxwell’s incredible book, Today Matters, he notes that today is the day that really matters, far outdistancing yesterday and tomorrow.

Most business owners in our industry have one main competitor and that competitor is the person they are looking at in the mirror! Your competition isn’t the problem, you are. Decide that, from now on, your dreams are going to motivate your day and that you will slay that killer of dreams, that being the old, lazy, undisciplined you!

Start today to be on a mission to be your best every single day. Remind yourself of that thought from the minute you get up and throughout the day. At the end of the day take a look at how you did and ask yourself if you were at your best. Pat yourself on the back if you were. If you weren’t, decide that tomorrow you most certainly will beat your best.