The Xtreme Agent

Seeks Excellence

By Stuart Cohen, MCC
Senior Vice President, NEST

“Excellence can be achieved if you...
Care more than others think is wise;
Risk more than others think is safe;
Dream more than others think is practical;
Expect more than others think is possible.”

Today I won’t be writing about extreme selling techniques, super-efficient marketing strategies or the perils of multi-tasking. Instead, let’s focus on the “Excellence” quote above, which appears on a poster in my daughter’s gymnastics studio. It is not credited to a particular author, so we’ll call him or her Anonymous.

Excellence can be achieved by an athlete performing on the balance beam or by an entrepreneur managing a business. Regardless of who you are or what you do, Anonymous identifies what must be done to achieve Excellence:
Care more. Risk more. Dream more. Expect more.

To care more... is to have an insatiable passion for what you do. Passion is the degree of heat from the “fire in your belly.” Your business stays with you 24 hours, seven days. You live it. You love it!

To risk more... is to venture into uncomfortable zones that you believe hold opportunity — without feeling intimidated or fearful. Welcome the butterflies in your stomach as you try something new! The greater the passion, the faster you’ll blast out of the zone of mediocrity.

To dream more... is to fantasize every day about what tomorrow could look and feel like. With passion pushing you to risk something new or change something old, how wonderful will Excellence feel?

To expect more... is to believe you are worthy and capable of greatness. If passion is the push, risk is the revolution and dreaming is the doubt-remover, then your expectations are the non-negotiable result you desire. And you expect Excellence!

The quote places one more key quantifier onto achieving Excellence: It is not merely as simple as caring, risking, dreaming and expecting more!

The quote suggests that “others” who find safety in the zone of mediocrity may find your climb to Excellence as unwise, unsafe, impractical and impossible. Therefore, if you truly seek Excellence, you must possess an unwavering belief in yourself and your mission.

“Others” can work to bring you down. Some may call your lofty goals absurd! These “others” find comfort in the zone of mediocrity and want you to stay there, too. Caring more, risking more, dreaming more and expecting more of themselves is too radical a change. It requires too much energy and commitment! Everyone wants the spoils of Excellence, but they’re unwilling to accept the challenge.

Achieving Excellence can bring great financial, professional and personal rewards. The above quote teaches us to care, risk, dream and expect more than others think is wise, safe, practical and possible. Beyond the marketing plans and the sales strategies, seeking Excellence is the driving force behind the Xtreme Agent!