There is a myth that to be great you have to dominate your sport.  You have to be so much better at what you do that nobody can compete with you.

The truth is that you only have to be a little better over a long time to completely separate you from the crowd.  To achieve greatness, Tiger Woods only has to be one stroke better after 72 holes in 10 or more tournaments each year to be the player of the year.

In business many companies compete in markets.  However, one or two seem to rise to the top on a consistent basis and get the most contracts.

There is an old joke that you don’t have to be the fastest runner if a bear is chasing you.  You just have to be faster than one to succeed!

While I do not wish to be the second last at anything, the point is well made.  We need to learn to compete at a level that is just a hair faster on average than our competition.

Jeff Olson, author of The Slight Edge has developed a graphic that clearly shows this vividly.  Daily discipline and doing the right things will lead to a life of privilege and wealth.  Daily lack of discipline doesn’t lead to failure or poverty, but a life of mediocrity and just getting by.

If you are going to live this life of privilege you will have to create a difference from your competition.  This difference doesn’t have to be large.  A simple 1% difference (The Slight Edge) over time becomes a large percentage ultimately.

Take your career path/Job/business at least 1% more serious than your competition and you will reap the rewards of the jet set.

Rob Wheeler