Creating Overachievers by Jim Stovall

In our society, there is a constant, never-ending struggle for normalcy. We seek to fit in at all costs. The advertisers tell us what we should look like, feel like, and smell like, and there is not enough of a premium placed on becoming outstanding.   

When we study the lives of overachievers, we find that many of them were faced with a disadvantage or a disability of some type that made it harder for them to be considered normal.  

In most cases, these overachievers were simply working harder than the rest of the world to be considered normal. But a funny thing happened to these overachievers on their way to normality. It is called greatness. 

It is important for us to understand that greatness comes not from being ten times better than anyone else, or even twice as good. It comes when we are willing to invest just a little more of ourselves toward the task at hand.  

If you were to study the biographies of the great overachievers in history, you would find that each of them had a turning point in their lives where they veered off from what we call “average” and became great. In most cases, this turning point comes in the form of a disappointment, a disadvantage, or a disability. 

The next time you are faced with a difficult challenge in your life, try viewing it as one of these turning points that can put you on the path toward the greatness for which you have been destined. 

In the Chinese language, symbols are used to express thoughts and ideas, and not just individual words. The symbol for crisis has long been identified with the ancient Chinese mariners who viewed crisis as “opportunity on a dangerous wind.” The same stormy seas that threaten to founder our ship can often propel us toward a Promised Land that we never before imagined. 

Today’s the day!

This and other motivational pieces by bestselling author Jim Stovall can be found in Wisdom for Winners Volume Two, an official publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.