I have come to understand that the small and seemingly insignificant extra step can actually hold the key to your breakthrough. Standing out would always require you to go the extra mile, to put in extra effort, to go beyond where others stopped, and do things differently. In every field of human endeavour; like in academics, business, and even in sports, there is usually a very thin line that separates "just good" and "great." It may not even be talent, opportunity, connection, or material resources that will make the biggest difference, but the extra 1% effort that a lot of people skip may be what will lead one to greatness. Your decision to keep going even when others have stopped is the secret to achieving greatness.
A lot of people are always willing to give 99%. That is; they show up at work, do what is required, undertake their tasks, put in efforts. But others also do the same. Everything you are doing, you will be surprised how others are also doing the same. When you go to the gym, you will see people trying to lift weights, when you go to the field to play football, you will also meet people playing and you will still play with others. However, what makes the champion is the extra 1% that they are willing to put in. Champions are not made in the crowded 99% that everyone else is doing, but they are made in silence with the 1% extra that others are not willing to put in.
I watched an interview from the Legendary Christiano Ronaldo sometimes ago after one of his Ballon D'or titles. He explained his training routines. Every training day, before everyone arrives, he would have started long time ago. They would meet him on the field training. Then when everyone else would have been done training for the day, they would still leave him behind - he would remain and still training. He put in more efforts even beyond what others are willing to put in. Trust me, he did not get this far in football because of his talent, but because he went extra with his efforts to do extra 1% that others are not willing to do.
Just to make it clear, your own 1% extra might be different from someone else's. As a writer for example, it may be staying awake much longer at night to refine a paragraph. As a student, it can be putting in extra study hours both during the day and at night. As a business person, it might be putting in more work to see your business grow. To others, these might seem small or seemingly insignificant, and they may not even see the point in doing them. But in the long run, the seemingly small will become large. One more practice, just like the case of Ronaldo, may not be noticed at the instance, but it will build mastery in the long run.
One of the reasons why a lot of people stop at the 99% is because of comfort. The last 1% is always uncomfortable. In fact, at this point, your body would have felt tired, your mind may even feel exhausted, and everything will be pointing to "giving up," but this is where you need to persist and persevere. You may have seen a good result, but you have to understand that champions do not just settle for "good enough," they always go beyond it and press on for something higher.
You do not have to settle for "just good," when there is a possibility of achieving greatness in the same thing by adding an extra effort.
In whatever you do, even in your daily routines and in your normal tasks, always make up your mind to always go a step forward outside your comfort zone. Do things that are not convenient, undertake the risky tasks, try again even when others have stopped, keep moving even when no one is applauding or cheering you. In life, the extra 1% effort that you put in may be what will trigger the breakthrough that you have been expecting.
Thanks for reading
