Home
>
Success
>
Personal Excellence: Whats Your Motivation? (Part 3 of 3)

Personal Excellence: Whats Your Motivation? (Part 3 of 3)

After 13 years of being married to the same woman and working for the same employer, I had a crisis in motivation. My marriage, ended in an unmitigated emotional and financial disaster. In short order, my career path went awry as I was 'reorganized' out of a job. My life seemed to be a study in chaos and failure. I felt somehow cheated. At 38, I was too young to quit, but felt too old to start over. I'd strived to be the devoted husband, model citizen, the ?ber employee. Still, I lost. Or did I? How was I measuring success? Weren't my efforts to be my best worthwhile? These are questions most of us will struggle with a few times in our lives. How we answer them will either fuel us for further progress or immolate us in a bonfire of self defeatism.

Dan Marino never won a championship. In pee wee, high school, college, or professional football, 'Dan the Man' never won it all. How is that possible that the greatest quarterback ever to pick up a football retired without "the ring"? How in the cosmic order, could a person excel so well at what he does and come up empty-handed? How then, can success or greatness be defined?

"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." To anybody who's ever really competed in anything, that aphorism is as hollow as a jack-o-lantern. We all want to win. We're hardwired for it. The traditional model of winning always involves direct competition. Today, though, 'winning' has morphed into beating countless, faceless 'others' in anything--having the hottest relationship, most impressive title, or the most money in the bank.

The truth is, however, we all don't get to drink from the victors' cup. This reality should encourage us to consider motivations that transcend besting others.

Personal excellence is a more consistent and accessible motivator because it comes from within. Achieving excellence in the pursuit of our goals isn't about the mark others set. Excelling is about us reaching our own best marks. When you excel, you win the only game worth playing.

When I was 22, I was with presented a definition of success that forever changed my outlook. "Success is the progressive realization of worthy goals." How revolutionary! You mean that I wasn't a success only when completed to goal, but while I still was attaining it? This meant for me that success was no longer tied to winning the race, or even finishing it. Success and winning were about running the best race that I could.

Could it be that easy? Why not? You can have abundance and joy in your life by setting your bar as high as you can dream and excelling at your own game. There's no competition, but infinite rewards. By this personal standard, I had two successful 13-year runs. The marriage may have ended, but I stayed committed and remain a loving father and loyal friend. The career my have taken a surprising turn, but I added value to the organization and still do my work and serve my customers with distinction. Score: Me:2 Other People's Standards: 0. Game. Set. Match.

Most football fans know that Dan "the Man's" records will last the ages. When asked what drove him to play so well for so long, his answer was simple and profound. He loves to throw balls. The actual act of launching a ball the best he could was his greatest motivator. It's amazing what towers we can build from the most humble of stones. When we pursue our passion, we find our purpose and become great along the way. The world may never see it, but we become champions nonetheless, enshrined forever in the halls of destiny.

David L. Cole is a speaker, trainer, and writer who empowers people seeking personal excellence, professional distinction, and positive social change.

He earned a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and spent 13 years as a higher education professional. Currently he provides principle-based training through keynotes, workshops, and coaching. David helps individuals, organizations, and communities enhance their roles as scholars, leaders and citizens.

You can find out more about his work at http://davidlcole.com

You can reach David at http://davidlcole.com

express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..

In The News:

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.