No matter how successful or accomplished you are, there is always another level.
In business.
In sports.
In life.
Your big, crazy, monster goal is someone else’s minimum standard to play the game.
You make a million this year.
Others might say that was a good month.
Make a billion.
Then there’s Elon, Bezos, and Zuckerberg.
The point is, no matter what, there will always be a new mountain to climb.
Something else to strive for.
Something that gets you up early and keeps you up late.
Thank goodness.
I don’t believe we were meant to settle with where we are in any area of life.
We can be content and happy in the moments of life for sure.
But we were designed for achievement.
Engineered for excellence.
Built to dream and wander.
And to go for it.
My mentor used to tell me “There is no staying the same.
You’re moving forward or sliding backward.”
When we were kids, we dreamed and schemed all day long.
Turing cardboard boxes into forts and space rockets.
Pretending to be superheroes sent to save the world.
But somewhere along the way we grew up.
That unbridled imagination was smothered by stress and uncertainty.
The storms of life pounding us as the winds of change blow.
And our dream machine sits idle.
Rusting.
And we begin to settle.
To accept life as it is and say, “It’s good enough.”
To rest on our laurels.
I’m sorry, but good enough… isn’t.
Never has been.
It’s a lie to keep you from reaching your potential.
A lie rooted in complacency.
A lie that robs the whole world of your unique genius.
It’s selfish.
And certainly not what your creator intended for you.
You have more in you than you know.
The capacity to grow and become more than you ever dreamed possible.
To achieve and dream.
To make a difference.
An assignment that you and you alone can fulfill.
Or not.
For it is a choice.
You can go clean the rust off your dream machine and crank that baby up.
You can begin to ponder and wander again and discover what’s possible.
To believe in a dream once more.
To believe the cape you’ve been hiding still has the power it did when you were young.
They say that 92% of people never achieve their potential.
Which means the world will never know, what they were here to bring forth.
The songs that will never be written.
The cures that will never be discovered.
The innovations that could have unlocked the mysteries of the universe.
Taken to the grave with those who chose to be “good enough.”
A tragedy of epic proportions.
A choice that far too many make.
But not you.
I want to challenge you to be part of the 8% that reach their true potential.
At work.
And in life.
To own this moment called NOW.
Because NOW is the gateway to what’s NEXT.
And what’s next might just blow your mind.
Oh, and know this.
When you get to the next level…
That’s just the beginning.
Godspeed on your journey.
Kevin D. Brown is a branding and culture expert. He’s an award-winning motivational storyteller, bestselling author, and the creator of The Hero Effect®.
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