Don't Sink to Their Level

We're always told to do our best, to try our hardest, to give it all we've got. And a lot of the time we think we do. So why, then, do we see great athletes occasionally get beat by mediocre athletes? Why, then, do smart students occasionally bomb average exams? Why, then, do lifters occasionally miss weights they're more than capable of handling? It's because far too often we sink to the level of our opponent. 

Your opponent can be anything. If you're an athlete, it could obviously be the individual or team you're competing against, a teammate you're trying to beat for a spot, or simply yourself. If you're a student, it could be an exam, a project, or a presentation. If you're a lifter, it's the weights. If you're a teacher, it might be your students' attitudes or the expectations for the class set by your superiors. If you're a human, it could be the day in general and how it's been going. Regardless of your field, you have an opponent.

You absolutely know what you're capable of, and when you know that defeating your opponent requires a 70% effort, what do the majority of people do? They put forth a freakin 70% effort. And that's exactly how the greats lose to the average. If there's any fluctuation, if you drop just a hair below 70% or your opponent happens to bring their best, you're walking away defeated. Not just defeated, but embarrassed. You should've won, but you didn't deserve it. You were more than capable of winning. Everyone expected you to win. You have no excuse.

If it requires 70%, give 100%. If the guy next to you is slacking, set the tone with your excellence, embarrass him, and make him think twice about cruise-controlling. If your students have bad attitudes, be that leader. If the test is supposed to be easy, blow it out of the water. If the weight is relatively light, perfect your form and nail the lift. Destroy the standard. Throw off the curve. Make it clear that your opponent should never have even considered competing against you, and make dang sure they never want to again.

Sinking to your opponent's level is a dangerous waste of your time. Don't mess around with that. Bring your best, do your best, be your best always. Excellence in everything. 

Comfort: You're Seeing it All Wrong

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” I’ve heard it, said it, written it, read it. Growing accustomed to pushing yourself beyond your perceived limits is a powerful tool for anyone striving for more than just average. But is that enough?

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The way I read it, you, the athlete, are making a change based on the circumstance. Times are tough? You adapt and battle through. That’s not proactive, that’s reactive. You, the “getting comfortable with the uncomfortable” individual, are one step behind. You’re too slow. You’re playing defense when you should be on offense. And that’s not going to cut it.

Here’s what I want.

I want you to be uncomfortable with what’s comfortable. I want you to despise settling in. I want the mere thought of giving up, giving in, and pulling back on the reins to make you uneasy to the point of sickness. I want you to run from what holds you back, what drags you down, what asks you to sit around in belief that where you are now is the best you’ll ever be. And that requires a complete mental shift. That requires you to want something so bad that giving anything less than everything is an absolute waste of your time. That requires you to cut those out who aren’t building you up, who aren’t pushing you forward, who aren’t holding you accountable, who aren’t demanding your best, because you deserve better than that.

[If we’re the average of our 5 closest friends, what does that make you? Be smart with whom you choose to surround yourself. “Bad company corrupts good character,” but that talk is for another time.]

You only have one life before you, and it’d be a dang shame to waste it away having never pushed your limits. Shift gears and sprint from passivity and apathy. I’ll never say it’s easy, but it’ll absolutely be worth it.

Uncomfortable with the comfortable. Get there.