You wanna be successful? Do this . . .

Be the absolutely fuckin’ best at what you do and spend every day making sure you stay the best.

It’s that simple.

I know, it’s not what you were thinking. You were expecting some earth shattering, intriguingly simple, yet profound insight. Nope, that’s not what I’ve got for ya.

It may not be earth-shattering or profound, but it is simple. At least it’s simple to understand.

Committing to be the best at what you do may not be sexy, but it is absolutely the key to success, and it’s the one thing YOU can control.

In spite of this, few guru’s or books talk about becoming the best at what you do as the key. They circle the wagon with habits, actions, belief systems and more, but few if anyone talks about being really, really, fuckin’ good at what you do.

Want proof:

• This post by Lifehack ranks number one on Google for the search term: 10 Keys to Success and not one of the ten references being the best at what you do as a key to success.
• The number 2 search return, this book,   Nope, nothing about being the best
• The number 3 search term, another book, says be the best YOU can be, but that’s NOT being the best.
• Even Google Images section, and their exhaustive lists and timeless classics like Dale Carnegie’s, don’t include being the best.

It’s crazy.

Look at Dale’s list. I think we can agree Carnegie is royalty in the success realm. His book How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold millions of copies. Yet, even the great Carnegie omits most importance of becoming successful, by being the best at what you do.

Imagine doing everything on this list but sucking at what you do, how much success do you think you’re gonna have.

Let me help you out, it’s not gonna be much.

And in lies the biggest issue in the success world today.  There is not enough emphasis on becoming the best at what you do. I don’t mean thinking you’re the best, but specifically spending 80% of your non-execution time focused on getting better.

To be successful, truly successful you have to become better than 99% of people who do what you do.  You have to become a 1%er.  All of your time, thoughts, effort, persistence, insight, mistakes, learning, need to be driving to becoming a 1%er, to being better than 99% of everyone else in your field.

The one common denominator of successful people is they are all 1%er’s. They are the best at what they do. They are obsessed with self-improvement, personal growth and improving their craft.

Over the coming weeks and throughout the year, I’m going to spend a more time talking about being a 1%er; how to become one, what it looks like, what it means to be the best at what you do.

It’s time we cut through the bullshit, the quick fixes, and the feel-good approaches to success. It’s time we focus on what matters, and that’s becoming an absolute bad-ass, the best at what you do. Not the best you can be, but the best period, a 1%er!