“All excellence involves
discipline and tenacity of purpose.”
John Gardner
A long time
ago, I watched an interesting movie’s scene where the main actor was put on the
spot by a question from another person.
He was
asked: which function is the most important (or most difficult) for a reputable
performer?
And he
answered after some brief thought that the most important performance was
always the next one.
I paused to
reflect on the answer for a while and I realized he was right.
You see, our
greatest potential power resides in the next performance, always.
However, the
next action here doesn’t mean a performance that is coming after the work we
are currently doing; but it does mean the one coming after the last. In this
sense, the next performance also includes the present functionality—the work at
hand.
An American
journalist, Eric Severeid interprets the concept as courage. He said:
“Tenacity is
pretty fair substitute for bravery, and the best form of tenacity I know is
expressed in Danish fur trapper’s principle: “The
next mile is the only one a person has to make.”
This is so
because no matter the nature or quality of your last performance, the next one
can make a radical difference for better or worse.
One the
right hand, if your last performance was great; you’re glad and ready to strive
and make the next one a little bit better.
On the left
hand, if your last performance was lousy, you’re reflective and you have a
higher chance of making the next one a lot better.
So I repeat,
the next functionality is always the most important one for a wise performer. The
French microbiologist, Louis Pasteur proved this with his grand achievements
and he confirmed this in his words when he said: “Let me tell you the secret
that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”
If this
concept is thoroughly understood and applied; it can truly take our game to a
whole new level.
And true
tenacity is what gives us the freedom to overcome both the fear of failure and the
fear of success. With it, our best can be repeated—at the very least, and our
worst can be significantly improved.
When we
embrace this idea completely, we instantly gain a slight edge over any game,
any industry or in any competition.
If you’re
only as good as your next performance, then every performance is an opportunity
to improve, and that means the good can always be made better and the bad can always
be made good.
Therefore,
beware not to get too comfortable with great success and never get discouraged
with a bad break.
Know that
every opportunity presents a new chance for us to do our best, going forward—irrespective
of how we may have performed before.
