Commitment to Excellence

To achieve your potential, somewhere deep in your core you have to create the belief that you can do it. By dreaming about your goal and focusing on the process you nourish your commitment, your confidence, and your belief in your ability. Great accomplishments begin with some kind of vision or dream. Every great feat flashes in the mind before it surfaces as reality. Think about your own dreams; nurture them in your mind, often. Go after your dreams; let them lead you. It’s the only chance you have to move along your path of self-fulfillment and excellence.

As this Emmy-nominated commercial by Nike shows, hard work and the commitment to reach a goal are both necessary for success. You don’t have to be born with elite physical gifts. You have to idealize greatness in your mind and commit to it. Greatness can’t be achieved without commitment.

Personal excellence is largely a question of believing in your own capabilities and fully committing yourself to your own development. There are disagreements about the physical requirements necessary for excellence, but almost total agreement on the psychological attributes. Commitment and focus are identified as the most essential keys to excellence. To excel in anything, you must become highly committed and you must also develop the focus required to perform your best under stressful circumstances. At some point you have to say, I want to be really good at this; I want this to work; I am going to do everything I can to be as good as I can be; I am making this a priority in my life. To be your best, you must live this commitment and continue to stretch your limits. Commitment alone doesn’t guarantee success, but a lack of commitment guarantees that you’ll fall short of your potential.

Your commitment is reflected in the intensity you must bring to practice and competition. When you train, you are there for a reason – to do your best and accomplish your goals – and are focused every second out there. In competition, you are energized and on the right channel, and you are determined to perform your best – no matter what. Your personal level of commitment is something you must work out for yourself. No one can tell you how important something is in your life; that is your decision. It is clear that people who excel are extremely committed. There is no way to achieve a high level of excellence without a high level of personal commitment.

The Mizzou Football team has embraced this philosophy, and dedicate our time to committing to activities that will help us reach excellence. Check out our Youtube page to see more videos of our hard work like this.