The Beckwith Blog: Beyond Great

I have the pleasure every single day, and for decades now, to work with professionals who want to better themselves. Coming to this intersection in my life where I have been seeing what plagues professionals and what sets apart the true sales studs of our industry, I think this January’s “Beckwith Blog” should help people look to the year ahead with some real clarity. What is that called … 2020 VISION! Right … the overused phrase of the year. Pun intended!

 

So, what truly sets apart those looking “Beyond Great” to a place where they can still “up their game?” I think it’s attitude, desire, competitiveness, regimen and goals. Do you have any of these? I see people who broke records last year striving for the next level. I see people who moved from one employer to another and just now are breaking a stride.

 

But I see it … I see the return of the true contenders, the competitors, the fighters and the champions.

 

And the most beautiful part about the view I see is the entire fire that has been set in our industry. How this new world we are living in today has a sense of growth again and excitement renewed.

 

Well I took to my search engine to ask: “What defines ‘Greatness’” because I have my opinion, but I want to know what the rest of the world thinks! Bing offered me these top three quotes! As it turns out “Being Great” to these athletes is not just about MORE, it’s about ultimately understanding what your GREAT is!

 

►David Anderson (Ex-NFL athlete): “Separate yourself. Whether that’s taking a chance, whether that’s working harder, whether that’s never giving up. Ultimately, I think you separate yourself from the pack, and in turn, you can become great.”

►Drew Canole (fitness celebrity): “Living an authentic life the best way that you know how to do it. It’s your own path, it’s your own life, so you should live it on your own terms. And when somebody does that, and they get happiness out of it, then that’s a great life.”
►Rich Roll (UltraMan World Champion): “To me, being great means being the most actualized version of yourself; the best version of yourself. Having the ba*** and courage to look inside yourself and do the work to figure out what gives you a heartbeat and what gives you purpose. To find that passion inside of you. And then set in motion a series of actions that lead to a plan to help you more fully actualize that and live that. Because that is what being great is, and that’s what will make you happy.”

 

The reason being if you are going to go “Beyond Great,” how are you going to know how to do that? If your best is what you already have been giving, then how do you give more. Well as the story goes, there is always more. There is always a little more oomph in the engine.

 

I would tell you what “Great” is to you is going to change. Our lives evolve. I remember saying to my parents, “When I am an adult, I will never say the words just because” as a reason for making my children do something. I said I would give an appropriate and acceptable reason. Well, turns out I have used that many times. We change.

 

When I was a young originator, I wanted to become the best. My quest was for glory, for bragging rights, for “greatness” as I defined it. When I got there, my eyesight moved, to the next mountain I had to conquer, always testing my limits. I was looking every single year for greatness. The new greatness. And here we are, coming off an exhausting and rewarding year that broke all records for the higher percentages of business owners in our field. We reached a “great” level of production. A “greater” than the year before level of volume. We did a “great” job.

 

So, when I think about going into this year, it is as if we need to go “Beyond Great” and I am going to tell you that I think that place is where we give more. Not to our wallets, per say, not to our companies, although I know we will do an astonishing job grabbing market share everywhere we can this year and in every way we can learn. But to give it back and pay it forward. How are you going to go “Beyond Great” I ask? Some people have already begun foundations that have created scholarships. Others upped new charity amounts or found new and meaningful ways to give back. More people went to school to educate and be the stand-in guest speaker. Even more began to mentor those around them.

 

See, if you look around and you ask me, we are living in a year of “Beyond Greatness.” I call it “Beyondness!” So, what I am hoping to do this year is see more of it, so I can applaud it and maybe even feature you here in this blog. So, I am throwing down a challenge. The “Beyondness” Challenge. I am challenging you to go “Beyond Greatness” with us this year!

 

If you do something this year that is even greater than you imagined or did a prior year, if you find a new way to take our ample living and spread the cheer, the warmth the love and the greatness, I ask you to tag me, Christine Beckwith and hashtag the word #beyondness and the #thebeckwithblognmp and I ask you to share a positive thought, a lesson or post an image of you serving others in your “Beyond Great” way.

 

Yes, this year, the year of the 2020 which lends to all the OCD people in the world. The year movies talked about that provoked an entire world to say the words “2020 Vision” and for my company 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching which was named in 2006, when I never even gave thought to the year 2020, I find myself here with you … in the “Beyond” portion of my career … and I keep thinking of ways still after 30 years to find new greatness.

 

What will yours be? #beyondness #thebeckwithblognmp Show me your “Greatness in 2020!”

 

I truly look forward to seeing readers participate in this. It will be a movement if we all find ways to do this. And, copy the link to this very article over to your post, pay forward the “Beyondness” purpose and meaning!

 

Let’s go Beyond in 2020!!!

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