There's been lots of talk, social media and press about people who are labeled 'elite'. Athletes, candidates for office, very wealthy CEOs and business owners, entertainment stars. Too often the label 'elite' carries a negative connotation: out-of-touch, too big for their breeches, arrogant, excessive consumerism, outsized ego. The mixed message we get is that being 'elite' gets you lots of recognition, but we don't really think you're a nice or good person. So that makes it hard for many to strive to be elite in their own fields.
I see this manifest most often in the way people use their time. Time is limited, so how you use it will contribute or not to your reputation. Those who want to become elite guard their time more carefully than any other resource and use it wisely. They prioritize aggressively and never use time for activities that don't clearly propel them along the path to elite status. Among the activities that propel them along the path to elite status are those that enhance their strengths. They invest in themselves.
Once you've decided to become elite in your realm, you'll become less 'busy' and more productive. Too often 'busyness' fills your time without propelling you along the path to elite. You have to ruthlessly halt the busyness and use the time for investment.
One investment that will get you to elite is coaching. Do you think that anyone among the elite hasn't worked with coaches of various types? It's easy to imagine athletes being coached, but executives, entertainment stars, candidates for office and others invest in themselves through coaching.
The next time you think you're too busy to invest in coaching, stop and ask yourself what your favorite elite person would do. They'd choose coaching over any other use of their time, because when you're elite, you increase your discretionary time as well as your financial strength. You can spend the time on coaching now or you can spend the time on making up for your weaknesses later.
Who's your favorite 'elite' and how are you going to emulate them so that 'elite' is no longer a dirty word? Share your thoughts in our comment box.
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