SECRET TO REMAINING EXCEPTIONAL

 THE SECRET TO REMAINING EXCEPTIONAL

There’s a secret to staying exceptional for a very long time.

I learnt it by looking at a picture containing X-rays of some of the greatest sportsmen in the world.

I was struck by how much physical damage their bodies had accumulated: fractures, torn ligaments, surgeries, repairs.

The thing is, there is no exceptional person who does not live with some level of pain.

Kobe Bryant played through a torn ligament in his wrist. Michael Jordan played through a cracked rib. Usain Bolt has competed through hamstring injuries.

While you are doing all you can to escape pain, your heroes do all they can to tolerate it. And that's what sets them apart.

You see, pain is a lot like a sharpener.

The experience of being sharpened is not pleasant for the pencil, but ultimately, it is what makes the pencil useful.

In your journey to exceptional success, there would be rejections, redos, failures.

But just as the pencil, the sharpening though painful will eventually make you better. This is what your heroes know that most people don't.

Practically speaking, what does this actually look like? Here’s a challenge for you.

Do any of these things consistently. Don’t quit even when it gets hard. Then track your progress in the next six months.

1. Ask for feedback:

After every major project, ask someone you trust what you could have done better.

2. Document your process:

Write down what went wrong, why it happened, and what you’ll do differently next time.

3. Deliberately do difficult things:

Don't always choose tasks you're already good at, pick up responsibilities that will stretch you.

4. Learn continuously:

Set aside time every week to learn a skill that makes you better at what you do.

5. Study people ahead of you:

Find someone exceptional in your field and examine how they work, think and make decisions.

6. Review your work:

Don't move on immediately after finishing something. Come back to it later and ask what you would change.

7. Raise your standards:

Once something becomes easy, don't become complacent. Find the next level and challenge yourself.

These things come at significant costs to your ego and some of your free time, but a better version of you is waiting on the other side.

Embrace the pain. It could change your life.

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