
Have you ever thought of what it would take to make you "truly great" at what you do?
Look around you at your employees and co-workers and ask yourself whether or not any of them are "truly great" at what they do. No doubt some of them really excel at their jobs and at life, while others just seem to get by. What is it that separates those that excel from those that don't?
Is it education? Training? Commitment? Willingness to work extra hours?
Do those that excel posses better communication skills, or maybe those that excel also have better technical knowledge?
If you put these factors to the test, I think that you will be surprised by the answers. Because those that truly excel at anything have one key factor in common. Those that excel at anything are simply those that are most passionate about it.
With the Olympics just completed you saw world- class athletes competing with one another to see who was the best of the best. You saw hundreds of dedicated, passionate athletes whose skill levels are so high that the difference in their performances are measured in tenths or even hundredths of a second. The worst of these athletes still possess amazing skills and perform at levels far above those that most of us could ever even conceive.
Certainly the Olympic athletes have amazing talent, but they also work with an unprecedented dedication to perfect their skills. But for them, it's a labor of love because of the passion that they feel for their sport. They did not become great in a day; instead they have dedicated their lives to being great.
Are you great at what you do?
How much passion do you have for your job? Do you do your job because it's something that you love, or because you need the money to pay your bills. Do you work at something that you love, waking up each morning looking forward to another day of passion in your job? Or do you rise each morning and force yourself into the shower, into the office, and into a job that you would rather not do.
I'm not suggesting here that you should walk off your job and pursue a career as a wind-surfer. What I am suggesting is that each of us has things that we are good at and are passionate about. You will find it much easier to excel at something that you love doing and are passionate about. Passion for what you do will easily translate into better quality work, more productivity, increased income, and more personal happiness.
If you love working with people, then your job should reflect that and you should be in a position that allows you the opportunity to do what you do best. If you love working with the numbers and the details, then your job should reflect that as well. Most people don't take the time to think about what it is that they "want" to do, instead they focus on what they believe they "should" do based on someone else's view of what is right or wrong.
Think about what you enjoy doing. Not just hobbies, but what it is that brings you joy every day. And then focus your life and your job around those things that you enjoy the most. If you do that, you can be assured that you too, will excel at your job. If your job requires that you do things that you have little or no passion for, then your life and your work will reflect that lack of passion.
Dave Meyer (Coach Dave) is a Business and Leadership Coach who believes that "Great Teams Are Built On The Foundation Of Great Leadership. And Great Leadership Is Built On the Foundation of Great Trust."
With over 25 years of successful leadership experience, Coach Dave provides his clients with practical, time tested advice on how to build aand lead a team that produces consisnte, outstanding results.
Certified by the Coach Training Alliance, and the Institute For Motivational Living, Coach Dave is an expert in providing leaders with tools they need to succeed in life and in business.
AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached Friday by Illinois lawmakers furious that he turned state government into a "freak show," setting the stage for an unprecedented trial in the state Senate that could get him thrown out of office.
AP - Facing unwelcome resistance from fellow Democrats, President-elect Barack Obama is encouraging critics of his $800 billion economic recovery plan to "just show me" their own ideas. With more than 11 million Americans out of work, Obama pressed Congress for urgent action Friday and said the U.S. is undergoing "a devastating economic crisis that will become more difficult to contain with time."
AP - Israeli jets and ground troops hammered at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip and Islamic militants fired barrages of rockets at southern Israeli cities Friday, ignoring a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire after two weeks of combat.
AP - Get ready for the in-law in chief. President-elect Barack Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, is moving into the White House at least temporarily to join Michelle Obama and the two children, transition officials said Friday. That's good news not just for late-night comics, but for 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. During the campaign, Robinson retired from her job as a bank executive secretary to help care for her granddaughters.
AP - She messed up her first interviews, didn't show much of a grasp of the issues and, dontcha know, had a speech pattern that was widely mimicked.
AP - A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it. Andre Thomas, 25, was arrested for the fatal stabbings of his estranged wife, their young son and her 13-month-old daughter in March 2004. Their hearts also had been ripped out. He was convicted and condemned for the infant's death.
AP - Birders with binoculars and cameras are flocking to a remote state park in search of a small yellow-chested bird that apparently crossed the U.S. border for the first time from its high-mountain habitat to the south.
AP - They play brother and sister on "Dexter." Now in real life, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter are husband and wife. Hall's spokesman, Craig Bankey, said on Friday that the couple eloped in California on New Year's Eve. They'll walk the red carpet together at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday the first time publicly acknowledging their relationship.
AP - A man may have tipped his intentions when he stood in line at an Ohio bank wearing a ski mask before staging a holdup. Police in Stow near Akron said 24-year-old Feliks Goldshtein of Highland Heights was arrested minutes later on Thursday following a brief car chase.
Reuters - Citigroup Inc is in advanced talks to sell its Smith Barney brokerage unit to Morgan Stanley, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, in a move that would further dismantle the financial supermarket that has been bailed out by the U.S. government.
Reuters - The Illinois House of Representatives impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday for abuse of power, including a charge that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.
Reuters - Israel rejected a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Friday and warplanes and tanks pounded the Palestinian enclave.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama and a key Democratic lawmaker revealed plans on Friday to overhaul the government's $700 billion financial rescue fund as a way to aid struggling homeowners and speed the flow of credit.
Reuters - The unemployment rate surged to the highest in nearly 16 years last month as a deepening year-long recession forced companies to axe more than half a million jobs, government data showed on Friday.
Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Friday it would consider a challenge to a central provision of the 44-year-old voting rights law aimed at preventing states and local governments from making it harder for minorities to vote.
Reuters - A top bank industry group said on Friday that it opposes an agreement between Citigroup Inc and Democratic senators that would rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, saying it could make home loans more expensive.
Reuters - The European Union sought to finalize details on Friday of a gas monitoring deal to allow the resumption of gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, which have been cut off for days over a pricing row.
AFP - Tanks and warplanes pounded Gaza on Friday after Israel defied a truce order from the UN Security Council as the death toll from the two-week-old conflict against Hamas passed 800.
AFP - Somali pirates said Friday they had freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, whose capture nearly two months ago caused panic in international shipping and spurred the world into tougher anti-piracy action.
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