Sometimes, the best posts or articles are the shortest.  This will be one of those.  

There is a simple ingredient you need to succeed in anything.  Without it, it is nearly impossible to achieve and get what you want.  That ingredient?  A Burning Desire.

If you do not have a burning desire to get what you are after, you won't be motivated to do what it takes, go through the challenges, put in the work, or innovate at the level you must to make it a reality.

What do you really want?  In you life?  Your work?  What is success to you?  If you don't have a burning desire to get these things - they aren't the right things.  Figure out what you really desire.  What do you have an almost healthy obsession with?  And once you have it, don't let go.  Keep pushing.  Keep going.  Keep working.  Keep innovating.  Until it becomes a reality.

The starting point of all achievement is desire - Napoleon Hill

It's easy to follow the herd.  That's why most people do it.  And because most people follow the herd, they get the results that most people get.  And if that is what you aspire to in life, then my best to you.  I don't.  My goal is not to "just be at the same level as everyone else."  My goal is to be more, do more, and give more than most.  My goal is to show people that there is more than what the herd gives them.  To show them that their potential is wildly more than they thought was possible - Because it is!

But, in order to do that; in order to be more, do more, and give more, you have to think independently of the herd.  You have to seek your own wisdom and question the conventions of which everyone else subscribes to.  You have to question your own assumptions and dig deeper into what you believe.  You have to 'think and grow rich," as the title of the books states.

When was the last time you questioned the common logic of the herd?  When was the last time you spoke up and did so, with the knowledge, it might create controversy or go in the face of what others you care about believe?  The reason most people don't think independently for themselves is that it is hard.  It is hard to be different or know you might potentially have disagreements with people - but in order for us to grow and attain new levels in our wisdom, knowledge, and capability - it is necessary.

Let's take a current example of extreme herd mentality happening in our lives right now - the Wuhan Coronavirus.  You will notice that I called it "Wuhan" not Covid -19 or any other name.  Why?  Because that is where it originated and where it is from.  And historically, we name viruses by where they originate.  Examples include The Spanish Flu, Hong Kong Flu, MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), Lyme Disease (Lyme, Connecticut) and so  on.  And, in fact the media called it Wuhan for quite some time until China decided they did not like it.  It should be not lost on you that the media outlets make a lot of money from China and access to their market and since they lead political correctness, they flipped over fear of losing money/access because "China was offended."  Now, China knows this game and played them well to get the focus off their mishandling of the virus which has now ravaged the world.  In fact, it is now being stated by governments around the world that the virus did escape the Wuhan disease lab where they studied the virus.

But, none of this is what the herd has been told.  These important facts have been wiped clean and replaced by a new set of talking points spoon fed to the herd because the media know the majority are not going to think independently and go research the facts (even though it takes about 10 minutes).  

Truth is power and knowing the truth can help you to truly understand the picture, small and large, and be able to make better decisions.  But, sadly, to find the truth most of the time in this world, you have to think differently than the herd and seek it out.  Knowing the origin of the Wuhan virus, may not make you more money or change your life at this time, but it will help you better understand the relationships between governments in the future and any potential conflict.  It may also lead you to question what the Chinese Communist government puts out as "fact" in the future.

Now, before you go thinking this is a China bashing article, remember a couple things.  First, I have an adopted daughter from China and have spent a lot of time on the ground in the country considering doing business there (I elected not to).  Second, I have great respect for the Chinese people for their culture and everything they have accomplished over centuries.  Many of the innovations that have led to the lives we lead today have come from Chinese innovation throughout time.  

I do see the sobering reality of what a Communist regime can do and be to it's people and the world and I don't shy away from it.  In order to think independently, you must be willing to face the reality of the world before you.  

Don't follow the herd.  Ask questions.  Seek truth.  Separate emotion from logic.  Think for yourself.  It will lead you to your true potential and capability.

I was recently reminded of what a great team can accomplish and what it takes to truly have a great team.  I little while ago, I one of the best product launches I have had in a very long time in one of businesses.  It broke records and set new bars to shoot for and achieve in the future.

But the reason it was so successful, wasn't due to me or the solution I was sharing with people, it was due to the team behind it (OK, I had a little to do with it as a member of the team!).  It was amazing how to group worked together, put together all the assets needed, nailed the outreach and marketing in both messaging and scaling to thousands all over the world.  They drilled the presentation and process with me until we knew like it was second nature, and everyone executed their duties at the highest level I've seen.

As we celebrated the launch and the impact we had on the lives of those we served with our product/service, it really got me thinking back to the elements that make a great team and how all of them were present with this team.  

There are 5 Elements tat make a great team.

1. Vision:  A great team has a vision, but it is not just one person that has it. In fact, everyone needs to contribute the vision in their own way to finalize it.  For example, in my scenario, the best vision of what the product should be didn't come from me, it came from a member of the team who really understood how the market would react to it and how to best position and package it for success for the customers.  It would not have done near as well in it's original version.
2. Discipline:  Everyone must be disciplined in that they know what their end goal for their role is and do what is necessary to achieve it.  That does not mean that they always know exactly every step to get to the end goal.  A lot of times, those things are figured out once in the thick of things, but they do know the end goal and work toward every day in a disciplined way.  Every team member was empowered to do what was necessary to make sure their part was ready to go, and they not only did so, but went above and beyond because they had the discipline to see it through. 
3. Focus:  Where you focus goes, things expand.  Each team member was laser focused on their specific contribution and didn't allow distractions to get in their way.  They kept that focus all the way through and after product release to help serve clients and their questions, etc.
4. Execution:  Execution happens when you have a vision with focus and the discipline to do what is necessary to reach the goal.  The team executed flawlessly because they were prepared, ready, and believed in their vision/mission.
5. The X-Factor:  The last component is what I call the X-factor.  This is not something that can be taught, but only modeled.  People still have to choose it though.  The X-factor is the willingness to drive harder and further, go above and beyond and almost have a healthy obsession with the success of the vision.  This is where I had to model things and the team did too.  I maniacally worked on my deliverables to ensure we were ready and I was ready.  That meant working through 9-10 pm at night each night to make sure everything I committed to was ready and right.  It meant reviewing everything I was part to ensure it had my sign off and that the team could continue execute and move at a rapid pace without me being a bottleneck slowing them down.  And when the whole team embraces the X-Factor and operates at the highest levels, you get massive success.

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If you look for and foster these 5 Elements in your teams, you can and will achieve great things and have wonderful successes.  Here's to making it happen!

The other day I saw an incredible stat.  There has been over 2 BILLION media mentions of the Wuhan Coronavirus in the last few months.  The next closest outbreak had only 60 million media mentions during its entire time.  

This got me thinking about how much this can impact people and create fear for them - with this much media bombardment, how it could it not. 

As I was thinking on this, something awesome happened.  My daughter had a breakthrough.  She had been trying to learn how to ride her bike for some time without training wheels and we had worked on it together - she was getting close, but just hadn't been able keep her balance for a long period.  

On her own, she went out and started practicing in the driveway and after 10-15 mins, she can running to tell me she did it.  So, I went out to watch her and sure enough, she had figured it out and had a breakthrough.  It was amazing to see the sense of freedom that came over her as she realized the capability she now had.

As I stood there, proud of her accomplishment, it made me think of all the other awesome things that were happening right now in our lives and businesses - even in the midst of a pandemic.

So, I decided to sit down and write out 20 Awesome things happening in my life right now.  It was a great exercise.  And I was energized as I got to 20 and could continue to name more.  It also gave me perspective and a new insight into everything that is good in my life right now, because there is a lot.

Try this exercise for yourself.  Shut off the TV and social media and tune out the billions of pandemic media mentions and focus for a little while on the awesome things happening in your life.  Write them down.  It will open your eyes and show you new opportunities available to you.  Write your 20 Awesome Things today!