The thing about going the extra mile is that
there is so little traffic.
—Jim Larranaga,
men’s basketball coach at George Mason University
Even though I probably don’t know you, I’ll bet that I do know one thing about you. If you’re reading this blog, the one thing I know about you is that you want to get to the next level. I’m positive that you want to get better grades, or you want to do better in sports, or you want to make more money in sales, etc. . . .
You’re not satisfied with the way things are right now and you want to get to the next level. Deep down you have this burning desire to improve yourself. This is a great personality trait that very few people possess.
Ollie Gelston, the legendary men’s basketball coach at Montclair State University from 1967 to 1992, gave his players the best advice I’ve ever heard on how to get to the next level. If you can follow Coach Gelston’s three simple rules, you’ll get to the next level.
Here are the rules:
#1. Be at the right place.
#2. Be there at the right time.
#3. Do the right thing.
Simple, huh? Simple to say, but not so easy to do.
Be at the right place. Award-winning director and actor Woody Allen said it this way, “Eighty percent of life is just showing up.”
Be there at the right time. You’ve heard the old saying, “Better 15 minutes early than one minute late.”
Do the right thing. Here are eight “right things” students can start doing right away:
1. Pay attention.
2. Ask questions.
3. Ask for help.
4. Help others.
5. Take great notes.
6. Do the work.
7. Don’t cheat.
8. Don’t quit.
Can you do this? Of course you can! You have the ability to be at the right place, at the right time, and do the right thing.
Will you do this? That is the BIG question. There’s a huge gap between “can you” and “will you.” Most failures reside in this gap. Commit yourself to following these three simple rules on a consistent basis and you’ll never fall into this gap.
Will this make you successful? Let’s go back to the quote from the beginning of this article, “The thing about going the extra mile is that there is so little traffic.” If you’ll do what other people are not willing to do, you’ll get what other people will never get. Absolutely, positively, guaranteed!
Call Success Hotline today at 973.743.4690,
Rob Gilbert
