If you are looking for how to be exceptional, here are some tips to help you achieve that. Desiring to be exceptional is a noble act that shows your dedication to doing more than the norm.
I have been opportune to get close to some of the most exceptional people in my field. I noticed some attributes they all have in common, and I decided to do more research and do a detailed write-up about how to be exceptional.
Whether at school, at work, or anywhere else, exceptional people are always recognized for what they do and how much they put into their job.
Being exceptional is not all about doing your job satisfactorily. It requires you to do more than you are required to. Being exceptional rests on the axiom that “No one gets recognized for doing their job; they are already paid for that. People are recognized for going the extra mile and being exceptional”.
However, none of that is as easy as it seems. Being exceptional is not an easy feat for anyone but you don’t need two heads to achieve that.
The extra stress that comes from striving to be exceptional is enough to discourage anyone from chasing such ambitions. In addition, it can get even more frustrating if your extra efforts are not recognized after you have put all your life into it.
In any case, however, being exceptional is worth it, and it is something you should desire to become in your respective field or area.
Interesting Reasons To Be Exceptional
There is no denying the fact that being exceptional is worth it. You may already be familiar with the benefits of being exceptional but here are some interesting reasons why you should not relent in your pursuit of being exceptional in anything you are passionate about.
- Personal fulfillment: Being exceptional can give you a feeling of personal fulfillment and satisfaction about your life.
- Career advancement: In the professional world, exceptional people have more opportunities for career growth. They are more likely to be recognized, promoted, and entrusted with higher responsibilities.
- Financial benefits: Exceptional professionals may earn higher salaries. Exceptional entrepreneurs build successful businesses that bring them financial success.
- Inspiration to other people: Being exceptional motivates other people to believe that it is possible to achieve greater feats than people dream possible.
- Leadership: Exceptional people are naturally likely to be the leaders in their sphere. People listen and follow exceptional people because they stand out from everyone else.
- Contribution to society: Being exceptional equips you with the necessary knowledge and skills to make a difference in the world and contribute to society.
How To Be Exceptional In What You Do
Again, you don’t need two heads to be exceptional. All you need is the determination and discipline to do what it takes. Here are some tips on how to be exceptional in anything you do.
1. Start early
If you ever hear exceptional people talk about anything, it is starting as early as possible.
Elon Musk is an exceptional entrepreneur that almost all of us know about. At a very early age, Musk, an avid reader, taught himself computer programming and developed his first video game when he was just 12 years old.
Not long after, he founded several tech establishments including X.com which later became PayPal, and acquired Twitter not too long ago.
Must is an example of the importance of starting early in the journey to becoming exceptional. This is because the entire experience might not be all rosy and smooth but when you start early, you have the opportunity to learn more in record time.
Also on this aspect, starting early also involves early preparations. For instance, if you are a student or a worker who is given a task to accomplish, starting early affords you enough time to put your best into the work, instead of delaying to the last minute and then frantically rushing to get the work done.
2. Be consistent
When it comes to being successful and exceptional, consistency is key. Little actions and steps accumulate to produce the best results ever imagined.
Michael Jordan is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. his exceptional skills and success in the game of basketball can be attributed to his incredible work ethic and consistent training.
Jordan was known for his tireless commitment to improving his basketball skills. He would be the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave.
Consistency is the clear demonstration that little drops of water make a mighty ocean. To imagine how to achieve a large ocean would be a daunting imagination. It’s only amazing how the very small consistent steps take one there.
3. Believe in yourself
To be exceptional, you have to believe against what anyone else does, that you can do it. This is no motivational speech but you have all it takes to be exceptional. You first have to believe.
Thomas Edison, the renowned scientist whose experiments led to the creation of the electric bulb, is a typical example of someone who believed in himself, even when few others did.
He conducted the experiments thousands of times; many doubted his capabilities, and some considered his work a waste of time and resources. But he believed in himself and once famously said,”I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Your predecessors might not have succeeded in what you are trying to be exceptional at but you have to believe in yourself that you can be what you want to be.
4. Push your limits
Exceptional people don’t stop where everyone is stopping. They push their limits, otherwise, what is the difference?
In my last professional exam as a medical student, I experienced some of my best examination performance since I was a student. That was largely because I constantly told myself “I am among the best”. This pushed me to push my limits and stay awake to read when I should have been sleeping.
A few sleepless nights will be required to be exceptional. Other sacrifices would be made. If it was going to be very easy, being exceptional wouldn’t have been such a big deal.
For you to be among the few exceptional people in the world, you need to push beyond what is considered the limit. You have to stretch your body a little bit. Leave your comfort zone, and explore how much more your strength can take you.
5. Love, and love yourself
Staying motivated and focused on one’s goals demands that one is always in a sound state of mind. Many things will get to you, the stress will further accentuate some of the horrible experiences you might encounter along the way.
Giving yourself to love and to love yourself will keep you in a state of mind that will enhance your productivity and performance. Loving yourself involves treating yourself nicely, and getting adequate rest and food while keeping in touch with your loved ones.
6. Avoid excuses
I have never seen any exceptional person who wears excuses like a crown. This is supported by an anonymous quote that “Exceptional people don’t make excuses; they make progress”.
“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure” – Don Wilder
“Excuses are the tools with which persons with no purpose in view build for themselves great monuments of nothing” – Stephen Grayham
“Exceptional people avoid excuses. Instead, they find a way” – Anonymous
What more can I say to further emphasize that one needs to avoid excuses to become exceptional?
7. Seek to understand
Being exceptional requires you to have a deep understanding of what you are doing, and this does not come overnight. Most people do not seek to understand what they know. They only commit it to memory or superficially scratch the concept.
Exceptional people understand that one cannot be exceptional by knowing what everyone knows. Seeking a deep understanding of what they are doing is what makes them stand out from the crowd.
To become exceptional, make efforts to learn the deep and gain an understanding of what you are doing. Ask questions like ‘why’ and ‘how’ things are what they are. That way, when you gain mastery with that understanding, you can be free enough to invent and re-invent your own exceptional ways of doing it.
Lastly, gaining understanding applies to every vocation you are into, whether sports, academics, entrepreneurship, or just about anything you can think of. Understand the game to play it exceptionally.
8. Help other people
Impacting your knowledge and skills on other people ironically makes you gain more mastery of them. Being exceptional is not a competition to outshine other people; it is a quest to attain your highest level of performance in life.
Having the mind of helping others also helps you to consciously or unconsciously find ways to get a deeper understanding of the concepts involved.
Being helpful to other people can help develop skills like empathy, communication, and leadership which can set you apart in your area of work, academics, or entrepreneurship. Exceptional people often find their exceptionalism by leaving a positive impact on their community and the world at large.
Attaining great heights without impacting other people is only half-way exceptionalism. While helping people can put you on the path to becoming exceptional, doing so after you have become exceptional makes you ‘truly’ so.
9. Get help when necessary
Whereas a large part of the work of becoming exceptional lies in your personal efforts, you should be willing to seek help when you need to. Exceptional people are open to learning from other people and other people’s experiences.
They ask questions about difficult topics, ideas, or concepts because they want to gain a deeper understanding of the concept.
Getting help from other people can allow you to harness the power of collaboration, learn from the experiences of those around you, and build a strong support system. Exceptional individuals know that they don’t have to go through it alone and are willing to seek assistance when needed to achieve their goals.
Seeking help from other people does not make you less exceptional. It shows you are willing to do what is necessary to achieve your goals. Not everyone knows that, and that is what makes the few exceptional people in the world.
10. Give due credit
To be exceptional, you also need to give credit to whom credit is due. Doing so makes people feel more comfortable working with you and sharing their ideas with you.
Selfishly excelling at what you do does not make you exceptional. You might climb the ladder high enough but your selfishness will taint your achievements.
When experienced people see that you will appreciate them or give them credit for their impact on your learning, they are more open to sharing their deepest experiences with you. Some of these unwritten experiences are what will give you a deeper understanding and make you truly exceptional.
Additional ideologies to be exceptional
The above tips are practical ways to be exceptional at what you do. Just a recap and some additions, here are some ideologies to make you exceptional.
1. Go the extra mile
To be exceptional, you have to be committed to going the extra mile. Don’t be too comfortable to stick with the norm.
It might not be easy to do more than your peers, but that is the price you have to pay to become exceptional. Once you start doing it, you will realize that it only gets a lot easier with time.
2. Think like a champion
The journey to becoming exceptional does not come so easily. There will be hurdles, challenges, and reasons to quit but champions don’t quit.
Champions have a goal in mind to accomplish and they won’t stop until they achieve it. Stay determined to be exceptional even when things don’t go in your favor. Rise about failure and learn from your mistakes until you have become truly exceptional.
3. Rate yourself differently
It is not pride to see yourself as different. You have to see yourself as the best that you are. Having this mindset will help you to put in the required work to make you exceptional.
Walk alone if you have to. You don’t have to be with the crowd. Think and act differently if their influence makes you farther away from your dreams of becoming exceptional.
4. Covet kind virtues
Kindness is the ultimate quality of being exceptional. Don’t aim to be exceptional to oppress other people. Aim to be exceptional to leave a positive impact in the world after you.
In time, you will learn to see that being kind to people facilitates your process of being exceptional at what you do.
