You Can’t Be Normal, My Advice To African Youths.
Is it 99th or 100th? A question coming from the World Champion during his routine exercise. The trainer asked him, does it matter? It’s just one extra push-up you can always do it the next day. The World Champion look at the trainer and told him, that is the difference between World Champion and a normal fighter.
The lessons from this short story;
- Pushing to the limits, you have to break yourself before you start making yourself. If you can’t reach the breaking point, you haven’t reached anywhere. That extra push-up equals to; that extra research you do, that extra risk you take. that extra time you put, that extra sacrifice your offer etc. We are always ready to offer some of it or most of it but not ready to offer all. Champions offer all, they don’t shake, they don’t brink. They stay focused and determined. They wear it, they eat it and they live it.
- You can’t be normal, normal is for everyone, normal is for good ones, normal is for better but you always need to be at your best. You need to put your “A” game every time you have to; pitch your product; present your company, close an important deal or creating a first impression. Successful people are not normal, they don’t enjoy normal; They work double the time of opponents, they invest twice smarter and they spent time developing extraordinary abilities in their own fields; think of greatest footballers, musicians, leaders, and parents. They are not normal. They have that extra push-up.
If you live for the action you don’t settle for anything less. Most people are okay with the initial success. They relaxed and lose focus. They either remain at the same stage for years or they die. Those are the only options for “Normals”. You can’t afford to be normal if you want to be the best at what you do.
Normals are not innovative, normals are not leaders, normals are okay with the current situation and don’t want to improve. Normal hates when other people improve because they are normals. You have to push it, push it to the limit, with discipline and commitment and pray for luck. Luck doesn’t come to normals, it comes to those who are moving to become the best.
Why was I motivated to write this article? I’m coming from reviewing 54 startup companies submitted their business for an opportunity to receive investment. Going through the applications you see a lot of normals. Some have great business ideas without business models, some have great products without proper branding strategy, some have great pitch without the actual businesses. 95 percent of them couldn’t put that extra push-up to get themselves to be the best. You can’t be the best if you want to be normal. You can’t be the best if you are not prepared to be.
You always provide excuses and promise yourself to do the extra push up tomorrow. Tomorrow is for normals.
Appreciation
- Brian Paul | Four years ago you told me the story of the World Champion.
- My Team | For pushing yourself to the limits.
