“Taking complete ownership of your outcomes by holding no one but yourself responsible for them is the most powerful thing you can do to drive your success.”
— Gary W. Keller

It’s not my fault that we lost. I played a great game.
It’s not my fault that I got a “C” on the test. The teacher is bad at creating tests.
It’s not my fault that I didn’t get that job I wanted. They’re looking for superman.
It’s not my fault that the customer was confused. They didn’t read the instructions.
It’s not my fault that I was late. Traffic was crazy today.
It’s not my fault that we didn’t finish the project on time. I got my part done.
It’s not my fault that I did it wrong. Nobody showed me how to do it correctly.
It’s not my fault that the demo didn’t work. Things always work until you start a demo.
It’s not my fault that I didn’t get promoted. My boss hates me.
It’s not my fault that the product didn’t sell. That’s the sales team’s job.
It’s not my fault that I’m behind. I have too much on my plate.
It’s not my fault that I don’t have any money. I work hard.
It’s not my fault that I’m overweight. I have a bad knee.
It’s not my fault that my kids don’t like me. They’re teenagers.

Will you be defined by your excuses, or will you be defined by how you overcome the challenges?

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”
— Napolean Hill

If you’re on the team, you need to help the team win.

It doesn’t matter if you score a touchdown. It doesn’t matter if you score three goals or hit a home run. It doesn’t matter if you make 100% of your three-point shots or win every faceoff.

Likewise, it doesn’t matter if you build a perfect database, give a great speech, write an amazing proposal, or work 14 hour days for a week.

Great individual performances don’t mean much if the team loses.

If you want to win, you need to make your team better. You need them and they need you.

You put your team in the best position to win when you hold yourself to the highest standard, but also check your ego and make sure to take care of your teammates, too. The team gets stronger when you take the time to mentor the guy who’s struggling, or when you overcome difficult personalities, or when you share knowledge. The team levels up when you quit worrying about getting praise and laying blame and start giving praise and taking the blame.

The best teams win. The best teammates make everyone around them winners.

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
— Phil Jackson

The team is not your enemy. As frustrating as individual members of the team may be, those individuals aren’t your enemy either.

Sometimes your boss seems like an enemy. They’re confrontational. They don’t communicate intent. They micromanage. “Get out of the way and let me do my job!”

Sometimes a subordinate seems like an enemy. They can’t see the big picture. They’re over-focused on details. They don’t do what I want the way I would do it. “Just figure it out and get things done already!”

Sometimes a peer seems like an enemy. They nitpick every solution. They overcomplicate everything. They can’t keep up with the rest of us. “Stop bugging me, I’m trying to get stuff done!”

Guess what? You won’t win on your own. You need the team, and every member of the team is supposed to be working together towards the same goal. That’s how you’ll win.

The enemy is out there, somewhere else. They’re outside the team and they’re competing for the same prize. They’re smart and hard-working, too, so this team better bring its A-game if you want to win.

Stop looking at your teammates as adversaries and start looking at each member as a critical asset. If you want to be part of an elite team of high performers, you need to positively engage with the whole team and understand the challenges they face. You need to figure out how you can help resolve issues for your peers, your subordinates, and, yes, your boss too. Be the person who makes everyone around you better.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
— Bruce Lee

Being consistent doesn’t mean you never change. Being consistent means that you produce the same quality output despite any change.

Consistency is moving forward despite any resistance, improving every day, and getting the job done even when it isn’t fun. It means showing up, adapting to new circumstances, and executing no matter what.

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

When someone is passive-aggressive with you, it can be frustrating or hurtful. So here are a couple of tips for dealing with those situations.

1. Don’t be passive-aggressive or a jerk in response.
2. Assume this person has the best intentions, and try to diffuse the tension.
3. Check your ego, be humble, and focus on developing a better relationship.

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
— Alexander Graham Bell

Modern smartphones are amazing pieces of innovation and technology. However, as with so many technological advancements, they’re a two-edged sword. On the one hand, we’re carrying a device around in our pockets that a few years ago was nearly impossible to imagine. On the other hand, our smartphones are great at distracting us from the important things we need to focus on.

Think about it. We’re interrupted whenever we get an email or a text, whenever an alarm or timer goes off, and for calendar events. Then there’s also all of our apps. Twitter, Slack, LinkedIn, YouTube, and many others provide lots of alerts, to say nothing about stock trading apps, news apps, and more.

It’s not bad to know what’s going on, and some alerts can be useful. Of course, you can and should turn off any notifications that aren’t helpful. Every time we lose focus, we’re less efficient and less effective.

There’s a simple solution to this chaos. Turn on do not disturb. Maybe not always, but sometimes. Consider scheduling do not disturb for some regular time without interruptions. Then put your smartphone aside and do something meaningful.

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Less is quiet. More is noisy.
Less is simple. More is complicated.
Less is elegant. More is gaudy.
Less is focused. More is distracted.
Less is productive. More is busy.

Don’t live life always chasing more.

“I choose to live by choice, not by chance.”
—  Miyamoto Musashi

Each day is filled with opportunities. The problem is that sometimes we don’t see those opportunities because we’re distracted by the daily grind. We miss what could be because we only see what we expect.

Well, maybe it’s time to start expecting the unexpected.

It starts with the realization that you have choices. You don’t have to do the same thing you’ve always done. Just because other people do it that way, doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. If only you do what everybody else does, you’ll always be average.

So start shaking things up. Try chocolate instead of vanilla. Maybe you’ll like it. Maybe you won’t. Either way, you just changed your story.

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A simple way to get more out of each day is to eliminate distractions. Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Watch one less hour of Netflix, YouTube, or whatever it is you watch.
2. Read less online. Don’t go down the rabbit hole and spend hours reading clickbait.
3. Stop checking email all day. At the very least, put your phone on silent for a couple of hours each evening.
4. Skip optional events. Stop worrying about missing out.

Sometimes, to add good things, you need to subtract some unimportant ones first.

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”
― John Pierpont Morgan

Do you want to make more money? Add more value.

Do you want to improve your friendships? Add more value.

Do you want more opportunities? Add more value.

Want a better marriage? Add more value.

How do you add more value? Start by improving yourself. Level up your skills and your knowledge, focus your efforts and conquer your fears. And most importantly, do the difficult things and stay disciplined.