How do you define greatness? And what does it mean to be great? Is it perfection? Is it excellence? I think the word greatness is a synonym for excellence. Some people wrongly associate excellence with perfection, and, therefore, don’t pursue it. I believe that greatness and excellence are within our grasp and are a state of being, worthy of our daily pursuit. The ancient Greeks used the word “Arete” for excellence. What is interesting is that their definition of this word included “fulfilling the purpose for which you were created” and “living up to your potential.”

In working with high performers and achievers in sports as well as business and life, I have had the opportunity to collaborate with some incredible individuals and have seen this definition play out in their pursuit of greatness. We define greatness as maximizing their God-given abilities to become the best that they can be. It is awesome when “their best” matches up with being “the best,” but in the end, I can only ask them to be the best that they are capable of becoming.

In this pursuit of personal greatness, we have found 3 steps that are essential to becoming the best you can be:

• Expect to be Great – The first step represents both a mindset and an attitude. Before you can become great – or the best version of yourself – you have to expect to be great! In other words, you have to believe and trust that you can become a great player in your sport. This mindset begins with recognizing and being grateful for the strengths you have been given and then stewarding and cultivating those gifts to maximize your potential. You can’t get caught up in the comparison game lamenting the physical gifts and talents that you don’t have related to other people. You have to focus on what you possess in terms of gifts, talents, and strengths, and trust that you can become a great player given the resources you have been blessed with. Also, your attitude should reflect one of humility and gratefulness, not arrogance and pride. The athlete who is arrogant and overconfident will usually not train as hard as the one who remains humble and hungry.
• Prepare to be Great – Once you have the right mindset, you then have to put in the work to become great. Many people desire greatness but despise the work that is necessary to become great. If you want to be your best, you have to prepare to be great. In other words, you have to put in the work that is necessary to be your best. You cannot become satisfied with good enough. One of the best ways to prepare is to develop an action plan. If you don’t know how to develop a plan, research and talk to people who have accomplished what you are trying to accomplish. Learn from them and discover what they did to make it to the next level in terms of their performance and platform, and then tailor their ideas and plan to meet your specific needs and goals. Also, a great plan for athletes must include the 4 crucial components of peak performance – technical (techniques of your specific sport or area of competition), physical (strength, speed, agility, and recovery), mental (mental game skills, sports performance techniques, and grit/resiliency training), and nutritional (sports-specific diet and nutrition to fuel, hydrate, and help you recover).
• Perform to be Great – The final step is doing it in both practice and games/competition. It is one thing to know and believe you can be great. It is better to practice and prepare to be great. The best and final step that you must take is to trust that you can do it by performing when it matters most. We call this “performing in the moment.” One of the keys to actually doing what you know you can do is performing with energy and effort. I have found that my athletes usually perform at their best when they have the right mindset and then give 100% energy and effort. Another key to success is not trying to win the game/match/race in one play but being focused on the process play by play, shot by shot, and step by step. They simplify the game plan and break it down into small moments that make a big difference on the overall outcome of what they are trying to accomplish.

These same steps can be applied in other areas of life besides sports. If you want to have a great meeting with a client, visualize a successful meeting, do the research and prepare a great presentation, and then bring your best effort on “game day.” If you want to connect more as a parent, see yourself in the future as caring and compassionate, get to know what matters to your kids, and then fully engage in listening and investing time with your son or daughter.

Remember, the desire to be great is a lifelong pursuit of visualizing what’s possible, putting in the work, and then performing in the moment…when it matters most!

Check out our coaching page for more information about our coaching programs in sports, business, and life. We also have created an online sports performance academy and membership site that offers virtual courses and ongoing support in the area of sports performance. This site will be fully functional soon, and you can check out the trailer for our first course – Be Present: Showing Up When It Matters Most.