I am a hard worker.  By this I mean that I develop a plan, analyze my progress, challenge myself daily and put the time in; basically I show up every day to succeed.  I know not everyone does this because I watch people’s actions.

Living in the world of sales and marketing affords me the opportunity to watch a lot of business people and compare and contrast.  Living in the world of sales also allows me to watch other sales people and compare and contrast what I do against what they do.  I have learned that if you aren’t doing it, then one of your competitors is doing it; so get busy!

I see a lot of mediocre habits.  I watch people go through the motions every day.  I hear people talk as if they want to be the best, but then watch their actions say otherwise.

Hard work.

I’m not so sure people these days want to work hard.  I’m not sure people in our age understand what working diligently means.  I am convinced that people have tricked themselves into believing they are doing their best when in fact they are operating at 60%.

The vast majority are coasting; flying under the radar.  They live in a world below the top 10%, but above the bottom dwelling 10%.  Flying under the radar isn’t a compliment. It means you put effort into not being noticed; going undetected.  Those living in the world of the 80% do so because they are comfortable there.  The expectations are lower when you live in the middle.

The funny thing is those who live in the top 10% never think about it because they are too busy working.  And most times those who think they are a top producer are not and make excuses.   Those who say “I’m an asset to the company” or “they couldn’t run this place without me” are the ones who have tricked themselves into believing they are a top producer when in fact they are not.

They are living in the realm of “good enough”.  I’m not sure what “good enough” is, but it isn’t okay with me.

The real question is where do you stand?  Have you tricked yourself into believing you are functioning optimally when in fact you are coasting at about 60% efficiency?