What does it take to be a champion?

My series on favorite quotes combines two favorites. 

Scott Galloway's quote above is a serious reality check. While it's not a "feel-good" quote, it is highly relevant today. So, I'll let that settle in without my commentary. 

My top-featured quote this week comes from a Super Bowl Champion coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chuck Noll. 

"Champions don't do extraordinary things. Instead, they do ordinary things better than everyone else."

I love this quote. It is profound and so applicable in these times.

When we consider Scott Galloway's point that we're all "unremarkable," it makes perfect sense that we can achieve our desired success and create quality options by doing ordinary things better than others.

Ordinary Things:

Impose structure on ourselves, such as getting up early, keeping our living space clean and orderly, improving our study habits, eliminating distractions, improving our sleep, exercise, and eating habits, and paying closer attention to the world around us.

Embrace the self-discipline needed to repeat those things each day. 

Strengthen our work ethic and outwork the competition. 

Be responsible to yourself and reliable to others. Be accountable for our own performance... no excuses. 

These should be the minimum standards for creating excellent opportunities. But too few students embrace these concepts, resulting in their complaints that good jobs aren't available... perhaps that's true for them.

However, amazing opportunities are available to those people who implement a structured, hard-working, self-disciplined routine into their daily life.

You don't have to be "remarkable" or "extraordinary."