I found this list late last week, back in some old training folders. I was given it by a former coach in preparation for an international competition that I had coming up. I remember reading it for the first time, and I liked how the list was to the point, but it didn’t try to make me feel bad for not doing everything.

Of all the things on this list, the one that I need to work on the most is probably to “take advantage of my morning”. I love to sleep, so I’m determined to start waking up earlier to be even more productive with my day. Anyway, check it out, I hope you find it as motivating as I do!

While the world sleeps, the high performer works. Could you imagine if you woke up on purpose, with purpose every day? How can you expect to achieve excellence when the first decision you make on a daily basis is to procrastinate the day by hitting the snooze button?

Win the morning by waking up earlier than you normally do to get a workout in, feed your mind with good books, and fuel your body with a good breakfast, all before the rest of the world is deciding whether to get up or not. Win the morning.

We are surrounded by people who want the fastest and easiest path to success, but not you, not anymore. Rather than run from the challenge that is keeping you from doing what you want, stare it in the face; learn about it; and embrace it.

“The road to greatness is easy”, said “no one ever”.

Doing hard things will teach you lessons you wouldn’t learn otherwise and will make you stronger than you thought possible. You can do hard things!

The average person hates to be told what they are doing wrong or what they can do better. Learning to accept feedback is not easy, but once you decide to seek it out and act on ways you can improve, you will dramatically improve your progress.

No one likes to fail, lose, or mess up; but high performers use adversity to learn lessons, and refuse to allow them to disable them emotionally. When you fail, identify what you did well, what you can do better, and what you are going to do about it right now.

One of the most important decisions you make every day is the attitude you are going to have when you walk out your door. Don’t take your attitude for granted or it will get the best of you.

As an athlete, you can do 10 reps in the weight room, or you can do 11. As a sales rep you can choose to make 15 calls or choose to do 16. One of the best ways to build mental strength is to do something you might not want to do, but you know will help you.

Do one more, because the average person won’t!

The clearer you can see your target, the more likely you are to hit it. High performers don’t do things “just because”, as mentioned earlier, they do things on purpose, with purpose. When you know why you do what you do, you’ll have more power to do it.

One reason the average person doesn’t achieve their goals is because life catches up to them and they allow the things that they have to do blind them from the things they want to do. Every day recommit to the things that matter most.

You empower yourself when your priorities are in line.

Success is made in a slow-cooker, not a microwave. High performers understand that overnight success comes after years of hard work. Be patient with yourself, keep your eyes on the prize and focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves.

Refuse to allow people to intimidate you. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do something great. Putting others on a pedestal because of their talent, experience, and or accolades makes you susceptible to beating up on yourself because you feel that you’re not as good as they are. Anyone can be beat, including you; so, respect your competition but refuse to fear them - who knows, they may fear you.

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