Friday, June 12, 2015

The Excellence Mindset

Growth is learning in action, but what is excellence?  Is it a result or a mindset?  If you think about it, growth takes passion for improvement, but excellence requires an obsession for optimal performance.   It demands a growth mindset that gets you to the top and keeps you there.

As you reflect on where you are this year in your own personal growth as a teacher or leader, ask yourself the following questions:


1. What are my strengths?
This is an important question because you can't grow unless you identify your strengths first.  Once strengths are identified, they can be leveraged to address question 2.

2. What are my areas for growth?
Stop asking where you are weak because the idea of weakness is a fixed mindset.   Identifying your areas for growth is a growth mindset, but making a definitive plan to become an expert in your areas for growth is transcending growth mindset and developing your excellence mindset.


Growth is great but chasing personal excellence is even greater.  If you don't believe me, watch the video below.  The result of the video is a world record for solving a Rubik's Cube blindfolded, but the mindset that you will witness is a man's relentless obsession with being not just the best but his best.  People who possess an excellence mindset are driven by being better than their personal best every day.

Vince Lombardi is the epitome of the Excellence Mindset.  His quotes on success, leadership and discipline are timeless, but the following quote perfectly defines the Excellence Mindset.

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

The quest for personal excellence, when pursued in the right way, not improves your life.  It improves the quality of your future.


The Obsession over Excellence

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