How good do you want to be?

In writing these articles, I want to provoke thought...I want to deliver ideas in a way that drives each of us to become more introspective! The neat thing is that it also gives me an opportunity to share some personal stories along the way.

In each of our lives, we approach events that have the ability to impact us forever! In about a month I will be face-to-face with one of these moments, as I will be saying "I do" to the love of my life in Playa del Carmen, Mexico! To say the least, I am an incredibly lucky man! One of my friends said it best when he said, "The three of you should be very happy together! You, Her, and her seeing-eye-dog!"


Now some of you may be asking yourselves, "Is he going to sit here and tell us all about HIS life or is actually going to give us something to take home?"


The fact is, while this wedding is a once in a lifetime event, it is the result of a process I have used a number of times throughout my life.

I have shared this process with friends that are in relationships, college students who are looking to make better grades, and sales professionals that are looking to have a record-breaking year!


1. We must ask ourselves, "How good do I want to be?"

This is not a question our boss, spouse, or kids can answer for us! This is a question we must answer for ourselves! Do I want to be average? Do I want to be good? Or...Do I want to be the BEST?! There are plenty of people out there that are perfectly fine with being average and there is nothing wrong with that. However, being average is a matter of choice...not a matter of ability! We were all given the tools to be extraordinary!

What if I do want to be the best?


2. Become clear on what it will take to become the best!

There is no better way to do this than to identify an individual that has a experienced a great deal of success in the industry and ask them, "What did it take for you to get to where you are today?" It is impossible for us to really know what it will take but the best road map we can follow is that of someone who has been there!


3. Make the decision, "Am I willing to do what it takes?"

This is typically where separation begins! "Well, I want to be the best sales person in our company! But, you mean I have to get to work an hour earlier than everyone else?" Some call it making excuses...I call it the "Meatloaf Mentality" after Meatloaf's 1993 hit song "I'd Do Anything for Love" (but I won't do that). It is really a simple progression...

I want to be the BEST!

I know what it takes to be the BEST!

Am I willing to do what it takes to be BEST?

"The difference between winners and losers is that winners are willing to pay a price that losers won't pay!" - Jim Jacobus, CSP


4. Identify mentor that is flying at 30,000 ft and one
that is flying at 10 ft!

"What are you talking about Jason?"

We must have one mentor that is just around the corner from us and one that is miles down the road!

ex. For my relationship with Caitlyn, I meet with one young man that has been married 3 years and I meet with another guy that has been married for 30. The "newlywed" can still remember how he felt when they were trying to hash out there finances and the "veteran" helps me keep things in perspective. It is about addressing the "now" yet thinking about what "will be"! From a professional perspective, we must identify the individual that is where we want to be in a year and the one that is where we want to be in 10 years!


If each of us can be honest with ourselves as we move through this process, there is no limit to what we can accomplish both personally and professionally!


p.s. Thank you to all of you that have played a role in my relationship with Caitlyn. If it is true that we are only as good as our friends, then I have a great deal to look forward to in life!