The Book

Excerpt from: Biting the Bullet, Chapter 11

Success is as cyclical as the seasons themselves. On this course, each of us must build and tear down, sow and reap, or suffer the consequences of natural elimination. As we move from the mere practical performance of duty to the exalted execution of our highest potential, progression is all that matters. This is the road of repetitive rebirth also known as continuous improvement. It is a road traveled only by those dedicated to constant cultivation of the self. Those who refuse are doomed to a slow and gradual decline, destroyed by a deadly dormancy from which there is no recovery.

As the hands of a clock are thrust ahead by an unbroken source of energy, we are inclined forward as by the interminable energy of self-determination. Nothing serves to animate us like this power from within. Nothing comes close. No training session, no motivational speaker and no stroke of managerial genius will initiate this flow of energy. Because this power source is individual and internal, we are in charge when it comes to leaning into the day and giving it our best. This is precisely why personal resolve and committing to a personal program of continuous improvement are critical considerations.

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What confounds us more than anything else is that getting ahead of others has eclipsed the primary consideration of getting ahead of ourselves. When we loose sight of our needs for self-actualization and focus on the race, we enter the zone of unwarranted competition with others. This has nothing whatsoever to do with outstripping our personal best. Most of us are just a nuance away from turning our personal missions into a mad dash for top prize in an interpersonal contest of wits. This constitutes the critical difference between continuous improvement and enviable competition.

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Those committed to continuous improvement tough out time on the battlefield, on the treadmill of life and on the disciplined path that asks so much of us. They endure pain for the payoff and accept momentary grief in exchange for the ultimate good. Beset by difficulties, they bear up. In the face of bewildering circumstances, they stay with the program, stay with the ship, and stay with each other. Beleaguered on every side, they bite the bullet and endure to the bitter end.

Faithful as we may be to the plan of action, our motives on the road to continuous improvement are never pure. When growth meets face to face with greed, a struggle of epic proportions occurs. The fearless hero within us literally meets with the monster and father of evil itself. Like the Anglo Saxon tale of Beowulf and Grendel, the monstrous shape snatches the best of us, engaging us in a struggle for dominance. The struggle is one worth waging, as self-worth must conquer the selfish desire to compete with others merely for the satisfaction of winning. Self-actualization demands this heroic performance as greed threatens to destroy our natural evolution in a positive direction. The right motive is all that separates the good from the greedy, and this makes all the difference.

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