Commit to Excellence

Resolve today to be the very best at what you do. Set a goal for yourself to join the top 10% in your field, whatever it is. This decision to become very, very good at what you do, can be the turning point in your life. There are no successful people who are not recognized as being extremely competent in their chosen fields. Remember, no one is better than you and no one is smarter than you. And everyone who is at the top 10% today started off in the bottom 10%. Everyone who is doing well was once doing poorly. Everyone who is leading their field was at one time in another field altogether. And what someone else has done, you can do as well.

Here's a great rule for success: your life only gets better when you get better. And, since there's no limit on how much better you can become, there is no limit to how much better you can make your life. Your decision to become excellent at what you do, to join the top 10% in your field, can be the turning point in your life. It can be the key to great success. This decision is also the foundation of high levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride. When you are really good at what you do, you feel wonderful about yourself. The quality of your work affects your entire personality and all your relationships with other people. You feel terrific when you know that you are at the top of your field.

Here is one of the most important questions you will ever ask and answer for the rest of your career: what one skill, if you developed and did it in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on your life? You see, you can't become good at everything overnight, but you can identify the one skill that can help you the most right now, and then throw your whole heart into developing that skill. Set it as a goal. Write it down. Set a deadline. Make a plan and work on becoming better in that area every single day. You will be absolutely amazed at the difference this commitment to excellence will make in your life.

by Brian Tracy