“There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
—Nelson Mandela
Life is a series of choices, and every day we are given the opportunity to make new choices aligned with our values and goals. Choices range from getting out of bed or hitting the snooze button, changing jobs or staying put, leaving a relationship or working through its challenges.
The bottom line is that you have the choice to share your best self with the world every day. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins points out that “greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.”
What does your personal greatness look like? Seeing the greater possibilities for your life takes courage and honesty and requires that you turn your ideas into action. What emerges is the concept of Living in Your Top 1%, the title of my first book.
The distinction with this phrase is to realize that living your best life is about living in your top 1 percent rather than the top 1 percent. It’s not a contest, and it’s not a comparison.
Whether you are a musician, an assistant, a manager, a mom or a CEO, living in your top 1 percent is about seeing your world filled with possibility. It’s about having a vision, making progress and understanding that small shifts in mindset produce powerful shifts in behavior. It is not dependent on your age, the size of your bank account or your education.
Top 1 percent moments are defined by feelings of fulfillment, excitement and happiness that come from the experience of reaching for your best, rather than for the accomplishments alone.
Living in your top 1 percent is a journey rather than a race with a start and a finish. You celebrate wins along the way and seek ways to improve, expand and take on new challenges. Your top 1 percent level is dynamic and constantly evolving.
By living in your top 1 percent, regardless of where you are in your journey, you embrace a powerful set of nine rituals:
1. Be the CEO of You Inc.
2. Embrace a can-do mindset.
3. Excel with your strengths.
4. Go for the goal.
5. Think without obstacles.
6. Live in your stretch zone.
7. Drink a cup of resilience.
8. Practice the three C’s: choice, commitment and consistency.
9. Bring balance into your life.
It’s not about what we know, but rather what we practice. The quest starts by asking: What does my top 1 percent look like?
Success is not defined by what society or others think is right for you but by what makes you feel fulfilled and adds meaning to your life. It’s time to explore your top 1 percent.
