We are all trying to reach that next level of greatness – in our careers, families, and communities. But in today’s hyper-competitive world, that isn’t such an easy thing to do. In an environment of dizzying speed and exponential complexity, how can we take our game to world-class? How can we reach our full potential?
From my own experiences as a jazz musician, entrepreneur, author, venture capitalist, speaker and father, along with personal interviews I conducted with over 200 thought-leaders around the world, here are 31 simple suggestions to help you reach your next level of greatness:
- Energize others
- Tell it like it is
- Commit to lifelong learning
- Be interested instead of interesting
- Race toward your fears instead of running from them
- Be more curious
- Extend trust freely, and earn it in return
- Pursue passion, not money
- Talk less, listen more
- Stand for something big
- Courageously challenge conventional wisdom
- Fail fast, learn, move on
- Be obsessed with finding a better way
- Skip buzzwords and communicate with extreme clarity
- Keep your promises
- Never stand still. Remember, deer in headlights die.
- Never apologize for your dreams
- Triple your rate of laughter
- When you get knocked down, keep getting back up
- Be more grateful – even for the little stuff
- Stop pointing fingers or casting blame
- Don’t sweat the small stuff
- Look within instead of lashing out
- Leave it better than you found it
- Build your reputation with actions, not words
- When opportunity appears, seize it
- Take more responsible risks
- Reinvent yourself regularly
- Spend time imagining what’s possible
- Never lose sight of the purpose behind your efforts
- Make the biggest possible impact and the rest will take care of itself
Our lives come down to a series of choices. We can choose mediocrity or greatness. We can follow our imagination or just follow the rules. We can reach or regret.
Your full potential is waiting for you just around the corner. Seize it.