Transform the quality of your experiences

In our last post, we discussed how excellence, if ingrained in our very habit, can transform the quality of our experiences and actually catapult us on the path to self growth.

So how do we inculcate this quality of excellence in all we do?

Practice, Practice & Practice - A 1993 study by Ericsson and colleagues concluded that we could all practice our way to greatness if we so choose. The authors found that by age 20, elite musicians had practiced for an average of 10,000 hours, concluding that differences in skill are not “due to innate talent.” Author Malcolm Gladwell underlined this idea in his 2008 book “Outliers: The Story of Success”. According to him, if you examine the greatest athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians and scientists you will notice they only emerged after spending at least three hours a day for ten years practicing. So set up a daily time schedule to practice your key skills. Whether you are a doctor, an artist or a CEO, the key is to consistently develop your craft to the point of perfection.

Go the extra mile – Whenever you think you have completed a task, step back, and evaluate if you have done all that you could. Are your satisfied? If yes, then check if you have gone beyond what was required or expected. The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is often a thin line, the extra mile. Martin Luther King Jr. said “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.” So go the extra mile and transform your ordinary into extraordinary, your satisfaction into delight. In addition, you will see that doing one job extremely well creates a ripple of positive energy that spills over into your other activities.

Prioritize – Instead of planning 10 things for a day and completing nothing, take up a significant few and do them well. Spend 10 minutes every night to ask yourself,what are the three most important activities on which I need to focus to deliver extraordinary results? Do them first thing in the morning and do not move on to the next, unless you have completed one. Prioritizing tasks focuses your creative energy on the essential and prevents it from being frittered away on unnecessary tasks.
Create and nurture healthy habits – An act of excellence happens when our mind, body and soul unite in a state of harmony. For that to happen it’s essential we nurture healthy habits by following a balanced lifestyle. All great musicians, business leaders, sportsmen, understand the connection between great health and unleashing your potential. Only if you are healthy, can you have more energy and vitality to become your very best. Therefore develop a few daily healthy habits and follow them for life. An easy way to develop a new habit is to consistently practice it for 21 days.
Remain true to principles and values – An act of excellence is a living, pulsing organic force that arises from your being and the person that you are. If you are not convinced about something or feel that it is not aligned with your core values, then no amount of technical skill or precision can render it alive. Consistently rephrase and reinstate your values and principles to enliven all that you do.
Spend some ‘non-doing’ time daily – Our minds are constantly on overdrive, but constant activity doesn’t necessarily equal great results. For that matter, all great things are born out of silence. Only in silence can we reconnect back to our source and listen to what it is telling us. So spend some non-doing time daily. Just be. The best way to do this is by practicing meditation. Meditation can help you create a state of mind in which silence happens and through this silence you will gradually see a different quality and context emerging with your ideas and visions.
Find a mentor - Warren Buffet said, “Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be.” We all have met individuals who have inspired us, motivated us to go beyond our comfort zones to do the extraordinary. These might be people in your lives or people that you have briefly encountered. The important thing here is to acknowledge and learn from people who exemplify the habits and attitudes you want to mirror.
Focus on the self – You are the most important person in your life. INVEST time on yourself. Schedule at least a half hour daily on learning and self-development. Either read something inspiring or mind opening, or spend time on re-evaluating your life plan. The more time you spend carving out your life mission, the more closer you will be to living it.
Live in the moment – Finally, life is a spontaneous and dynamic project, always in the making. It is happening as we speak. Only by being alert and mindful can we grab every moment and use it to live our true potential.