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 I have been humbled and awed watching the extraordinary athletic talent on display in the London Summer Olympic Games. The veteran Olympic swimming superstar, Michael Phelps, and Jamaica's impressive 100 meter champion, Usain Bolt are only 2 of the exceptional athletes to have achieved a gold medal honour.
Do you have to be a superstar in order to succeed? Business Coach Michael Neill gives a wonderful perspective in a recent blog post he wrote entitled "In Praise of Average." Neill asserts that average persistence over time will result in above-average results. Even swimmer Michael Phelps, with his all-time Olympic record of 18 gold medals said, "I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it."
Neill talks about "the paradoxical promise of the 'Average Day' philosophy in which the cumulative effect of a series of average days spend doing an average amount of what one loves and wants to do can actually be quite extraordinary."
Could it be? Could we turn "average" into "exceptional" in our lives?
Business strategist Gina Bell writes in her recent blog about the Persistence Effect and the direct relationship between the level of effort you put into something and the results you get out of it - even when it seems like the results are completely unrelated to your efforts. She says that "consistent daily actions (success rituals) create the persistence effect". The persistence effect can easily turn your "average" into extraordinary.
Persistence + Consistent Effort over time = Exceptional Results
Turning your Average into Exceptional
I have adapted Michael Neill's One Day at a Time Exercise for you below to give you a tool to see how easily you can turn your "average" into "exceptional." Grab a piece of paper and a pen and let's get started!
1/ Identify:
Pick an area of your life that you would like to be more successful in. An area that perhaps you feel average or somewhat satisfied in right now.
Give yourself a measurable place to start. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 - 10 of how successful you feel you are in that area right now.
Think about what your version of exceptional might mean in that area. Ask yourself what would shift your number closer to 10 in that area of your life. (ie/ How would you know you had shifted? Make sure your markers are measurable)
2/ Set your "Average Effort" Marker:
Ask yourself what could be a realistic "average" amount of effort you could imagine putting forth in that area. (hint: Think in "average" terms right now and be real with yourself)
Eg/ You want to be a successful salesperson - so an average amount of effort per day might be to make 5 sales calls
Or
You want to be a soloist singer - so an average amount of effort per day might be to do 30 min. of vocal work.
OR
You want to write a book - so an average amount of effort per day might be to do 30 min. writing.
OR
You want to get into top physical condition. So an average amount of effort per day might be to do 30 minutes of cardio per day
3/ Imagine the results:
If you did only your "average" amount, and did that 5 days a week, how much would you have shifted your scale closer to "10" - in 6 months, in one year, in 10 years?
Eg/ Making 25 sales calls per week might net you one new client per week to purchase your $500 product = an extra $25,000 + per year
OR
Writing for 30 minutes per day = almost 3 hours of writing per week which would potentially allow you to write a book in a year
You get the idea? Consistent daily actions over time = Exceptional results.
4/ Act:
Now it's up to you. Set your Average Marker. Be Average. Be average 5 days a week. Commit the effort on a consistent basis, and watch how your average actions turn into exceptional results!
 Sources:
"One Day at a Time" Exercise adapted from Business Coach Michael Neill's Supercoach.com Tips
copyright© 2012 www.supercoach.com
"The Persistence Effect" - Gina Bell
www.ginabellinc.com
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Like many of you, I have been glued to the TV marveling at the feats of the exceptional athletes at the Olympic Summer Games. Watching Jamaica's Usain Bolt in the Men's 100-meter sprint was awe-inspiring. The fastest man on the planet took only 9.63 seconds to cover the distance and set a new Olympic record. I thought about Usain as I headed out for my plodding jog along the Vancouver seawall, slightly limping from a pulled muscle in my glute. Is Usain super human? Was he born exceptional? Or did he become that way?
You told me what kept you awake at night and I created the content for my 
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