Tuesday, 13 March 2012

Tips for the aspiring ninja


Everyday each one of us tackles our own demons, faces our own personal challenges and crosses our own bridges.  Whether we choose to move forward with a giant leap or remain on a constant plateau while the world around us gallops forward is our choice.  Only you are responsible for your current status.

As an aspiring superhero I have committed to rising to the challenge, to going beyond the call of duty and to not being mediocre as I choose not to live a life below my potential.

Whether you are an accountant, school teacher, strength coach or soccer mom you have the choice to become a ninja in your own right.  Why settle for average?  Why just do the bare minimum?  Normal, typical, fair, ordinary, standard, vomit.

Bring out your inner ninja and strive for greatness in everything that you do, everyday, all the time, every time.

Some things I like to keep in mind in my quest for being my best:

  •  Being exceptional comes not from 'just practicing' but 'practicing efficiently'.  I do not just push the repeat button and reiterate the mundane, every time needs to be better than the last time.  
  • Exchange is a constant process of life, in order to more forward and improve on yourself constantly you need to replace the bad with the good. Bad habits with good habits, lack of confidence with confidence, faith with fear.
  • Feed your mind.  With knowledge comes power, ninjas are very knowledgeable.  The more you know about what you do, the better you are going to be at it.
  • Never be too old, too good or too complete to learn, never assume to know it all, when that point comes when you think you know everything. You have failed.
  • Extraordinary is a lifestyle, be incredible in every small thing that you do and make it a fixed attitude.

I few weeks ago I read Mike Mahlers - Live life aggressively -  there was a lesson on every page of this book but what really stood out for me was something he said about passion.  He spoke of being prepared to read at least 25 books on how to achieve success in your field, or in my words, ninja status.  If you are not prepared to do that then you should choose another field, as 25 is the minimum that you should read about something for which you allege a passion.

Aspire to be the best ninja at what gives you ecstasy, if you are passionate about what you are doing - be a ninja at it.

Aristotle said "We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"