𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹.

October 7, 2026 | Uncategorized

Last week, I had the opportunity to reconnect with one of my earliest mentors.

We reminisced about our shared accomplishments and the impact we made at our organization.

Since he wasn’t the original founder or first leader, I asked him:

“Were the standards you set the same as the ones in place before you took over?”

He replied, I don’t know. What I do know is that our expectations and standards had to be held to a high bar so we could achieve great things together. Only then could we build something truly special.

He added that when he took the reigns, entitlement was widespread: “l’m special because I’ve already arrived…”You are an outsider…” “You joined our group; we didn’t join yours.”

At the time, I perceived his leadership as demanding, sometimes even oppressive.

I had never encountered a teacher, coach or boss that intense.

Yet, I also know I never pushed my personal limits more than when I was part of that team..

Admittedly, that drive didn’t come from the right place.

I worked hard primarily out of fear; fear of being caught not giving 100%.

While I’m grateful I learned how to hold myself to a higher standard,

I now realize that striving for excellence shouldn’t stem from fear.

The motivation should come from a genuine desire to create and contribute to something meaningful.

Over the years, I’ve reached many milestones through hard work,

but building something special was rarely my primary motivation.

Instead, I was driven by external rewards: financial gain, fear, validation, and public accolades.

While those rewards may naturally follow great work,They shouldn’t be the core objective.

The real fulfillment comes from the pursuit of excellence itself,

from surpassing my own expectations and achieving milestones beyond my wildest dreams,

All without succumbing to the trap of entitlement that whispers I’ve already arrived and no longer need to try.

Hard work not required.

Our conversation was timely, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Great mentors have a way of doing that.

Even though we hadn’t spoken in nearly 20 years,

He reignited my motivation to achieve great things once again.

Only this time, my response isn’t rooted in fear.

He’s no longer my leader.

It’s driven by the purpose of building something truly special by someone whom I am starting to believe is still my mentor.

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