Dabblers and posers create a lot of noise without substance. With so many ways to market, promote or deliver, the need for excellent execution has become a premium demand item in the new economy. People with ideas are not hard to find. Everyone has them and offers them usually in an umbrella of safety. People that can execute are a rarity. Take ideas and move them to a deadline that wows someone.
Someday, you may want to…
… write a book
… start a company
… have an efficient company
… take a dream vacation
… live a real life
Why such things stay in the realm of hope rather than reality comes from a lack of focus and execution. A lot of this is from a lack of passion and clarity. Think about when you had to meet a deadline. The ability to focus and rally helped you get a deliverable across the goal line. The late night writing a college paper or the preparation for a sporting match or the presentation for that big customer demanded your attention and focus.
In turn, you stepped up. The alternative was to lose or face consequences. High performance often happens when there is clarity, focus, and passion. Constraints, such as a deadline or an event, created the right conditions for execution.
In our world of too much noise and demand for our attention, a secret to moving forward rather than in circles is to create constraints. Commit to a deadline with people. Sign up for a race that you paid for. Invest in expensive equipment and software. They are all hard, concrete commitments of ego and cash. The clarity and passion will follow. Note Parkinson’s law that states,
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
Shorten the time with a hard, immovable boundary and allow your emotion to propel you with clarity towards a hard commitment. Put yourself out there and commit. It is the way to move from mediocrity to excellence one deliverable at a time.
What’s something that you could apply this to?