3 Decisions You Should Make

Good isn't good enough.

Do you feel the truth of that statement?

It feels true for me, but it leads to the anxiety that comes from working harder and harder to win. It's a "type A" life, for certain! Yet, if it's true, then why does it feel so uncomfortable?

Here's another statement that feels true: I can't be great at everything. I can't even do everything to an acceptable level. I have tried. What I got for that flurry of activity was this:

• Stress
• Anxiety (fear), and
• Mediocre results.

It must be time to STOP!

It's time to take stock and take a different approach. I've invested too much time, money, energy, and opportunity costs to be satisfied with results that are...mediocre.

Here are three decisions that resulted from my response to the high investment and low results way of working:

• I would rather have poor results, or no results, than mediocre results.
• I want results that vary from "great" to "excellent."
• I am willing to make the necessary decisions and changes to routinely get to "excellent."

That's nice. Everyone says that they want great results and a great culture at work and at home. Where's the road map to these lofty perches? I'm glad you asked.

1. Know yourself. As my good friend Dave Jewitt says, you have to know how you're wired and who you're wired to be. That kind of self-knowledge is explosively empowering, even if getting to the "empowering" part is painful. You must know yourself so well that can apply your design, as Dave calls it, like a surgeon's scalpel not a like baseball bat.
2. Develop a Unified Vision. I don't know your situation, but I don't have time for multiple lives. I used to wear so many hats that I couldn't find my head. Now, I work to wear my roles in such a way that they are subordinate, not dominant. They are prioritized through the lenses of my values and my vision for my life. One life. One vision. I can't thrive with compartmentalized visions, so I've said yes to a holistic vision for my life in which all of my roles must fit. Else, I say no to a role. It's not easy, but it is satisfying! This one change has produce so much peace and freedom in my life that I'll fight not to go back. One life. One vision. One set of values.
3. NO! It's not my new favorite word, though it is an important one. We must discipline ourselves to say "no" when "yes" would draw us out or our values, vision, and design. You've heard it and read it before: say "no" to the good so that you can say "yes" to the best!

Good isn't good enough and I can't be good at everything. Both are the case, but I can't excel at everything and get anything done. Here's another truth that, for me, has helped solve the dilemma: I can't succeed alone. That's right. I can't do anything worth doing alone. Sure, I can do certain things well. The complete package, however, requires a greater variety of excellence than I can accomplish on my own. Where does that lead me? It leads me to find a team or develop a team. The principle holds at home, at work, and at play.

To recap:

1. Know Yourself.
2. Develop a Unified Vision.
3. Learn to Say "No," when appropriate, and
4. Realize that You Have a Greater Impact as a Part of a Team.