My friend Les Gold, star of the hit TV series Hardcore Pawn, gave a dynamic speech this week that left the audience mesmerized.   His opening line really struck me: “How bad do you want it?”

As products of a consumer-driven society, we want just about everything.  We want fancy cars, palatial homes, and exotic travel.  We also want perfectly toned bodies, extraordinary athletic abilities, a big circle of friends, dozens of hobbies, and a close-knit family.  Our wants are limitless.

The challenge becomes prioritization and sacrifice.  As the sage childhood advice proclaims, “You can have anything you want but you can’t have everything you want.”  Knowing that human desire surpasses the 24-hour-a-day limit, choosing what’s most important is critical.  Without that focus, your energies become defuse and you end up accomplishing very little.

“How bad do you want it?”  Les gets in the audience’s face with his trademark intensity.  He’s referring to your commitment to reaching your goals and questioning the sacrifices you’re willing to make in order to win.  The most successful people do what other won’t, not what others can’t.  If you want something but refuse to do whatever it takes to get there, it’s merely fanciful dreaming.  Those that truly commit to their goals and will walk through fire to achieve them are the ones that win in good times and bad.

Les works out seven-days-a-week at 5am.  I’m sure there are days he’d rather stay in his warm bed, but he’s willing to sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term fulfillment.  Dealing with tough customers at his pawnshop empire can be difficult and often dangerous.  But he shows up every day.  Fearless.  Driven.  Committed.

It’s so easy to cast blame when we fall short.  Between the economy, governmental regulation, fierce competition, and “not enough time in the day”, there’s no shortage of excuses.  But when you’re busy moaning, someone else is busy winning.  They’re willing to own personal responsibility for their results.  Willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how distasteful, to achieve.  Are you?

When you combine intense focus with unbendable grit and determination, nearly anything is possible.  As you set out to make your biggest mark, you will undoubtedly need to make some tough sacrifices along the way.  If it were easy, everyone would be a champion.

Are you ready to fight through rain, sleet, and snow?  Are you ready to exert discipline and focus?  Are you ready to be relentless?

How bad do you want it?

There are few products less sexy that a thermostat. It is a boring, utilitarian commodity, right? The world agreed for over 100 years…until the lead designer of the iPod decided to shake things up.

Tony Fadell took a completely fresh approach and challenged conventional wisdom. Rather than starting with the existing competitive set, he shattered industry norms from design to function. The result? The incredible new device known as the Nest Learning Thermostat.

Besides its distinctive look, this baby ain’t your father’s thermostat. The artificial intelligence “learns” your habits. It has sensors to know when you are away so it doesn’t heat or cool an empty house. It’s connected to the web and evaluates external weather conditions to determine how to best respond inside. You can even control it from a smartphone app on the go.

All this whiz-bang technology does more than fuel your inner geek. The Nest saves its owners an average of 20% off their utility bills and helps reduce our reliance on foreign oil. All the while, it saves the environment by reducing emissions. Cool, huh?

It gets better. From a business perspective, the Nest sells for $250 each, and is completely sold-out. Compare that to the widely available and incredibly boring Honeywell programmable thermostat that sells for $22. That’s right… the sold-out Nest sells for ten times the price of the find-anywhere industry standard.

Once again, innovation carries the day. Even in a commodity business that appeared to offer no room for breakthrough thinking, creative fire has charred competitors into dust overnight.

As author Gary Hamel famously said, “Somewhere there’s an entrepreneur forging a bullet with your company’s name on it. Your only option is to shoot first. You must out-innovate the innovators.” Even if you are enjoying success, the disruptive forces of change can deliver a knockout blow at a moment’s notice. To win today, you need to embody creativity and innovation. There’s just no room for complacency.

Take a good look in the mirror and examine your own business. Are your products and services me-too commodities, or are they truly differentiated? Is there an opportunity to inject new thinking in either form or function to set the new standard?

Imagine there’s a Nest equivalent in your own industry – some upstart that’s just about to shatter the mold and reinvent the business. Now imagine that you are that disruptor. What would you do differently? How would you take on the sleeping giants? How could you apply creativity to your product, process, or communication to rock the very foundation of your field?

In today’s competitive environment, staying the course is the kiss of death. Nest disrupted thermostats; what will you choose to do in your industry? It’s time to sprint toward the future instead of clinging to the past. It’s time to imagine what’s possible, instead of just what is. It’s time to turn up the heat.

Oh wait… my Nest just did that for me.

In 2005, I found myself in a very desirable position. I had started a company from scratch six years before, and I was delighted to see it achieve some real success. ePrize had become the dominant player in the online promotions industry, organizing sweepstakes and loyalty programs for clients like Coca-Cola, Disney, P&G, adidas and Microsoft.

But then something happened confirming my worst, unspoken fears. A new company entered the promotions business, and our market position was threatened. Every time we tried to land a new client, our rival won the business by underpricing us and offering more sophisticated solutions. They seemed to have come up with a secret way of winning at lower cost yet with higher efficiency and more creativity. They stole our clients, as if by magic. My nightmare had come true.

I knew right away that our new rival, Slither Corporation, was out to kill us. Soon, they were bigger than us, they moved faster, and – though I hated to admit it – they seemed smarter. They never had a down quarter. They appeared unbeatable.

It was inevitable – Slither was going to eat our lunch. Unless we upped our game, and out-Slithered Slither.

But here’s the thing. The Slither Corporation doesn’t actually exist. I made them up. Slither is our fictive nemesis, our imaginary bad guys. To defeat comfort and complacency, I decided that our team needed a wake-up call, so I launched our make-believe competitor at the point we felt unstoppable. The goal: to ensure that we stayed at peak performance, remained humble, and pushed our creative boundaries.

Rather than battling a poorly performing company to make us feel good about ourselves, Slither was launched to fictitiously undercut our prices, steal our customers, compete more efficiently than seemed possible, and, all the while, enjoy margins that made us green with envy.

Slither became a key part of our culture. We intercepted internal memos from Slither that gave us insight into their strategy. Our team members were asked questions such as, “What’s the one thing that your counterpart at Slither does better than you?” Slither even invaded our company one day, dressed in costumes that represented the opposite of our cultural values.

In today’s challenging times, you probably have real competitors to worry about. But inventing your own ideal enemy and then thinking deeply about how to conquer them can be a powerful technique to drive change and innovation. It will help you focus on the possibilities and remove internal political cloudiness.

Unleash your own fictitious archenemy, and use it as a platform for reinvention. It will help you challenge yourself to reach new heights, drive urgency, and unlock new ideas. This imaginary battlefield will better equip you to win at the real thing.

Throughout my career, my favorite saying has always been: “Someday, a company is going to come along and put us out of business. It might as well be us.” Creating your own version of Slither will help you do just that. Disrupt or be disrupted.

When the space shuttle takes off, it burns two-thirds of its fuel in the first 20 minutes. The remaining supply is ample for up to two weeks of continued flight. It takes tremendous force to bust through the gripping constraints of gravity.

When you embark on your own journey, gravity has the same impact. Launching a business, writing a book, completing medical school, or rebuilding broken communities can be daunting tasks. Unless your only dream is to get a tan and hit the mall, you’ll be faced with an intense gravitational pull designed to hold you back. It’s there to test your resolve and give you an opportunity to show how much you really want it.

So how can you slay this dragon? Having studied elite leaders in many disciplines, I’ve noticed some common threads. Here’s how the most successful people slingshot Newton’s law into the stratosphere, and what you can do to defy gravity:

1. Purpose – Start with “why.” Having a purpose that is consistent with your values and overall life-plan will become your North Star. It will help you persist in the darkest hours of your journey, and help you enlist the help of others when you share it freely.

2. Vision – Imagine trying to do a 1000 piece puzzle without looking at the box cover. Ouch. Having a clear picture in your mind of your desired outcome will enable you to manifest it efficiently.

3. Focus – An ancient Chinese proverb states, “Chase two rabbits and both will escape.” It’s easy to get distracted, but those who achieve the most are able to lock their sights with laser-beam accuracy on their vision and purpose.

4. Discipline – This isn’t the easy part and it’s what most often separates champions from also-rans. The bottom line: if you behave with relentless commitment, your odds of success increase geometrically. This means daily habits that crescendo into your big goal. Through grit and determination, your potential is nearly limitless.

5. Creativity – In today’s world of dizzying speed and exponential complexity, you’ll need to continuously adapt and refine your plan. Creativity will be your most powerful weapon in conquering adversity. You must constantly challenge conventional wisdom and remain obsessed with finding better ways to run your race.

The good news is that once you blast through life’s gravitation pull, your momentum will ease the struggle. After putting some early points on the board, you’ll build a reservoir of confidence that will boost your resolve when challenges emerge.

Human beings have figured out how to fly airplanes faster than the speed of sound, build 160-story skyscrapers, and land rovers on Mars. You have enormous opportunity to defy gravity and seize your own dreams, no matter how lofty they may be. It all begins with a single spark of gravity-defying effort.

Let the countdown begin.

Some things just “can’t” be done, right?

Up until 1954, the top scientists and athletes agreed that running a mile in under four minutes was physically impossible. Never been done in all of history. That is, until Roger Bannister did it on May 6 and shattered this preconceived notion. Just 46 days later, another runner broke the four-minute mark and from then on, times continued to decrease.

With a fresh year ahead of you, you’re probably reflecting on the things you want to do. It may be to fit into that new pair of jeans. Or perhaps you have bigger goals: to drive social change, launch a business, or heal the sick.

Throughout the journey, you’ll be met with challenges that will test your resolve. You’ll be dealt that inevitable setback, making it easy to play the victim card. When you say something “can’t” be done, you are relinquishing your power. It is the world’s fault that a goal wasn’t met, not yours. It may be easier to rationalize in that moment, but in doing so you end up settling instead of achieving.

Often the difference-maker for high achievers is that they are willing to do what others won’t, not what others can’t. They own their outcomes, and take personal responsibility for seeing it through rather than playing the blame-game. Tough spots don’t have to indicate game-over status. Also-rans may crumble, but champions never waiver.

What if Martin Luther King Jr accepted that racial equality was impossible and not worth pursuing? What if Google felt that cataloging the world’s information couldn’t be done? The minute we stop pushing the limits as a society, civilization crumbles. And the same applies to you.

The next time you’re faced with an obstacle, stop focusing on all the reasons you can’t conquer it. Instead, pivot your thinking to “What steps need to happen – even if they are difficult – in order to see this through?”

If you are pursuing anything worth doing, they heat is likely to get really hot. Before you forfeit your dreams, perform a careful examination to see if you are really in a “can’t” dead-end or just a “won’t” situation. Turns out that 90% of the things we think are impossible just require some extra grit and determination to make them a reality. Bottom line: mojo is the antidote for adversity.

2012 is your time. Your time to shatter conventional wisdom. Your time to do the never-been-done-before. Your time to crush the impossible. Your time to make a difference.

You probably know it well. That sinking feeling in your gut where you feel like you just got punched by Tyson. Heart-pounding, head-throbbing, room-spinning agony. We’ve all been there. Perhaps it was losing a huge client, a key team member jumping ship, or a major technology glitch. Or maybe it was a sharp scolding from a boss, an unexpected job loss, or that big setback you’ve been dreading.

Oh shit.

These are the moments we fear; the ones that nightmares are made of. The times when we feel powerless, overwhelmed, and are left spinning with hopelessness and despair. You’re not alone…Every great leader, hero, and champion has had them too.

The real question isn’t whether or not you’ll experience this acute terror. Assuming you are pursuing anything worth doing, you will. The question becomes, how will you react?

Some of us cave to the pressure. We roll on our backs like helpless dogs exposing their vulnerable bellies. We allow ourselves to become victimized by the event, and relinquish our power to the callous circumstances. We let things happen to us.

Luckily, you need not suffer this hapless fate. Instead, you can regain your power and use the setback as a “teachable moment.” Rather than judging it, you can look at it as information that is helping you grow as a person or organization.

Throughout my own career building startups for the last 21 years, I’ve had my fair share of these moments. But now looking back, each of these painful setbacks turned out to be a blessing. In fact, many of my biggest breakthroughs came just after events that appeared to be devastating losses.

Often our biggest moments of growth come from our darkest moments of adversity. Life has a funny way of teaching us and sometimes those painful wake-up calls can be just the jolt we need to effectuate change. In these moments, you have a choice. You can cower in the corner like a guilty child, or you can use the sting as an opportunity to strengthen your resolve. You can own it, take personal responsibility, and leap into action with unwavering commitment. Even when it’s tough and you want to hide.

The most successful people have bad days too. We all stumble, but the champions don’t let speed bumps derail their journey. Instead, they look straight into the abyss and extract every valuable lesson that can be gained. And you can too.

That dreaded “oh shit” moment will likely crop up when you least expect it. The next time it does, don’t run from it. Seize it. It’s simply an opportunity for you to shine and grow.

Why do some companies consistently outperform their competition? Why do some people become champions while others fall short as also-rans? What skills do you need to improve to reach your highest potential?

We’ve all asked these questions as we strive to achieve our personal best. Decoding the traits of success is a multi-billion dollar industry as eager minds seek enlightenment. Leaders sprint to embrace the newest tech gadgets and management tactics to gain even the slightest competitive edge.

How ironic that a back-to-basics approach carries the day. It turns out that good old-fashioned grit has been statistically linked to being the number one indicator of high performance.

Research defining grit as perseverance and passion for long-term goals found that as a trait, grit had better predictability for success than IQ. The experts break it down and list these attributes as the building blocks of grit:

• A clear goal
• Determination despite others’ doubts
• Self-confidence about figuring it out
• Humility about knowing it doesn’t come easy
• Persistence despite fear
• Patience for the small stuff that obscures the path
• A code of ethics they live by
• Flexibility in the face of roadblocks
• A capacity for human connection and collaboration
• A recognition that accepting help does not equate to weakness
• A focus and appreciation of each step in the journey
• An appreciation of other people’s grit
• A loyalty that never sacrifices connections along the way
• An inner strength that brings them to their goal

More important that a go-get-‘em-tiger pep talk, you can actually build, screen for and measure grit. The Grit Test, developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, is a simple questionnaire that helps you determine your Grit Score. It’s worth four minutes to find out how much mojo you and your team have so you can get about building more of it.

Brainiac pencil-pushers, entitled trust-fund babies, and well-dressed charmers are not the only ones that snag the brass ring after all. The good news is that grit comes from within, and none of us are precluded from building this attribute.

It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, come from a good neighborhood, have a fancy-pants degree, or are good looking. We all have nearly limitless potential, and the opportunity to seize it is waiting for you.

Let old-school grit and determination serve as the catalyst to achieving your own personal greatness. You don’t need another tech gadget; just the same killer app that has been foundation of success since the beginning of civilization.

Aquaman has the unique ability to control and communicate with sea creatures. Invisible Woman can – you guessed it – become invisible at will. In fact, each of the superheroes we grew up with and admire have one or more superpowers.

Turns out that most highly successful people – both mythical and real – have their own secret weapon. From Zeus to Warren Buffett, Serena Williams to Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah to Derek Jeeter, each has their own secret sauce. It’s a unique gift that makes them powerful, compelling, and remarkable.

Good news – you have your own superpower too. It may be the ability to show empathy and patience. You might be a math whiz. Maybe you are terrific at communicating complex ideas. Perhaps you remember everything you read.

You can’t be great at everything, but you’re probably world-class at something. It could be an obvious superpower such as being an outstanding negotiator. Or it could be subtler such as a dry sense of humor or a vivid imagination.

The even better news is that to be incredibly successful you don’t need to be a master of all things. The top superheroes may have x-ray vision or time-travel, but none have all the superpowers. True heroes play to their strengths. The spend a disproportionate amount of time being the absolute best at a small number of things rather than trying to master every skill.

And then there’s Kryptonite, Superman’s Achilles heel. Turns out we each have one or two of our own soft spots. You may stink at long-division, lack computer skills, or hate writing. You may have a particular relationship that makes your knees wobble and strips you of your power. Perhaps your weakness is junk food, alcohol, or gambling.

Unfortunately, most of us play it backwards. We focus far too much energy on our kryptonite, wallowing in shame and self-pity. We let fear and doubt consume us, which limits our potential. Meanwhile, our superpowers – the gifts that make us truly special – take a backseat and don’t get fully developed and cherished.

Can you imagine Superman hunched over at the local saloon, unwilling to leap tall buildings because he’s bummed out over his one weakness? Instead, he’s identified his shortcoming and doesn’t let it hold him back. He’s learned to accept and avoid kryptonite so he can get on with saving the world.

Let’s start focusing on our strengths and stop obsessing over our weaknesses. Developing your superpower is your most important step on your journey to success. Don’t let your nemesis get in the way of reaching your true potential. Each of us has incredible things to accomplish and a gigantic impact to leave on the world. Now is the time to seize that opportunity.

To infinity and beyond….

Many of us chase success, only to find it to be an elusive tease. We say to ourselves if “I could HAVE what I want (money, fame, power, clothes, spouse, car, house, etc.) then I could DO the things I want, which, in turn, would allow me to BE who I truly am.”

We think Have, Do, Be. Unfortunately, that’s backwards.

When you study the most successful and happy people, they run the reverse model. They first focus on who they are (philosophy, character, culture) and are uncompromising on BEING true to those beliefs. This allows them to DO the things they want. Because they are authentic and follow their destiny, they end up HAVING what they need. The HAVING is simply a byproduct of first BEING and then DOING.

If you really want to maximize your true potential, turn the conventional approach upside down. BE true to your core beliefs, DO the things you care about, and the HAVE will take care of itself.

In terms of BEING, a good starting point is to write your own eulogy. When it’s all said and done, how do you want to be remembered? As a selfish, workaholic jerk? A fear-laden rule follower? A liar? Most of us want to exude strong character, contribute to humanity, and express our creativity. You don’t need a new Porsche or a 5-bedroom house to begin being a person you can admire.

When you think about DOING, forget about the status quo and what you think you “ought” to do. Instead, follow a path that is both inspired and inspiring. Step away from what you perceive as “safe” since you only have so many years to make your mark. Start by asking yourself these seven questions:

1. What do you love to do the most?
2. What gives you the most satisfaction and joy?
3. When do you feel like you are making the biggest impact?
4. What activities most energize you?
5. What would you do if there were no possibility you could fail?
6. What are you doing when you lose track of time?
7. If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
If you’ve identified a career path that is radically different from your current gig, it’s time to take a hard look in the mirror and consider seizing your true calling. If you don’t, who will?

As for the HAVE, it will take care of itself. If you follow your passion and purpose, you’ll get all the stuff you need. By focusing on being whom you are meant to be and doing what you are meant to do, the having will end up being a whole lot less important anyway.

Stop with Have, Do, Be. It’s time to Be, Do, Have.

Altruism.

Sexism.

Nationalism.

An “ism” is a suffix that refers to a strong principle or belief.  It is a set of values so powerful, it drives behavior and serves as a beacon for those who subscribe. The best companies and leaders have ISM’s of their own driving their success.

In the midst of economic catastrophe, a new breed of hyper-growth companies emerged. Despite a global recession and financial meltdown, companies like Facebook, Zappos, and Google enjoyed meteoric growth and profits.  The common threads of their success are powerful ISM’s - shared cultural philosophies of business that enable breakaway results.

Quicken Loans is the #1 online mortgage lender, growing from a startup to a 4,000-employee market leader over the last 25 years. They are consistently ranked in Fortune’s Best 100 Places to Work and they even won the JD Power award for the highest ranked customer service in an industry that is notoriously unfriendly. Ask Quicken Loans Chairman and Founder Dan Gilbert about the key to their success, he’ll quickly tell you it’s all about the 18 Quicken Loans ISMs. They include:

• “Responding with a sense of urgency is the ante to play”
• “Obsessed with finding a better way”
• “Always raising our level of awareness”
• “You have to take the roast out of the oven”

The leaders and team members at Quicken Loans live by these values, driving them deeply into the DNA of their company. As a result, the company is a shining example of endless innovation, soaring profits, and market dominance.  They realize that their beliefs and values – their ISMs – drive unified performance.

Zappos, the online shoe and apparel retailer, used a powerful and well-articulated culture to drive incredible entrepreneurial success. The 10 Zappos cultural values include:

• “Do more with less”
• “Create fun and a little weirdness”
• “Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded”

Netflix is another great example of using culture to drive results. Check out this amazing slideshow about their culture of “freedom and responsibility.” It should be required reading for entrepreneurs and business leaders hoping to drive their organizations forward.

Today we live in a world of dizzying speed, exponential complexity, and ruthless competition. Building and nurturing creative cultures is no longer a luxury; getting the culture right is mission-critical to success. Creating a framework that enables creativity, responsible risk taking, and autonomy can be the difference between a champion and an also-ran.

This week, examine your own corporate culture. Explore your beliefs and values and see if you’re in need of a tune-up.   Not just the salute-the-flag platitudes that are displayed in your lobby yet mean nothing. I’m talking about the values that you live, breathe, and sleep. Empower your people with a clearly-defined framework for operating, and you’ll unleash the true potential of your organization.

It’s time to focus on the ISMs.  What are yours?