When Henry Kissinger served as the Secretary of State in the United States, a new analyst started at the state department. The young analyst spent an incredible amount of time drafting a report. After working hard, he left the report for Mr. Kissinger. Later that day, Kissinger left the report on his desk, with a single question in red ink on the front of the report:

"Is this the best that you can do?"

Most people go through life without doing anything really hard.

Sometimes the low-hanging fruit is the only fruit that we end up picking.

But what about the hard things - the things that seem almost impossible? Should we try to do them? And if we try, will we be able to actually do them?

Should we be afraid of something just because it is hard? Not at all.

Should we attempt to do the near-impossible? Yes.

I just don't have the energy to do it all over again."

I couldn't hear the next few words because my thoughts stopped after I heard that statement.

I was talking with a friend and we were discussing next steps in our careers. This man is talented, smart, and has guts. But he felt limited by one thing - his energy.

We need energy to do everything. And energy can make up for a lack of nearly everything else: time, resources, and even skills.

Life is short. We only get so many chances. When our time comes, we need to be ready. We need to have the energy to take advantage of each opportunity.

The bigger the goal, the more energy that we need. And I've learned that energy management is a skill.

The phone rang.

It was 11 pm on a Friday night. I was sitting in my room with my girlfriend.

Who would be calling me at 11 pm? No way I am answering, right?

But I had to answer. It was my boss.

My look to my girlfriend asked if I could answer. She nodded and shrugged. Why was my boss calling me so late on a Friday night?

One day a young man, desperate for a job, took a job cleaning out trailer parks. He worked for a temp agency that was staffing a liquidation company. As part of his cleaning duties, he found a CD in the trash.

The CD had a picture of a face on the front of it. And it intrigued this young man. At the time, the man had not been able to keep a job. He struggled with substance abuse and had other issues as well. But the album cover intrigued him, and the CD will still intact inside.

Years ago, my dad asked me a question while we were working on the landscaping at our home. The work was hard but monotonous enough to not prevent us from having a good discussion. My dad went for something deep.

Imagine walking into the office of a wealthy individual. This isn't just any person, though. This is one of the world's most celebrated entrepreneurs. This is someone who is in the news daily. Social media uplifts this person as a world changer. You have followed this person's rise and greatly admire this person.

Then also imagine that you are desperate for a job. You have a family. Bills. Responsibility.

You know this is a great opportunity. You don't want to mess it up. You have skills that this person would surely find useful. You could offer immense value to her if she understood what you could do. This conversation might change your entire financial future.

"The real poetry and beauty in life comes from an intense relationship with reality in all its aspects."

- Robert Greene

Most people think that a positive attitude is a good thing.

I probably would agree. Most of the time.

People who are optimistic and happy are generally more fun and rewarding to be around than others missing those qualities.

But sometimes high-pressure demands change the analysis.

For most people, there is one “main thing” — that if done regularly, repeatedly, and consistently — will lead to disproportionate successful results.

But what is that elusive “main thing”? And how do we figure it out?

For me, it all comes down to food. Permit me to explain with a realization that struck me a few years ago.

"There is a person, an 80-year old version of yourself, that is rooting hard for you to make good decisions today."

Most young people don't appreciate the true advantages of being young. And most people, as they age, realize that with aging comes new problems and difficulties.

Certainly, there are advantages to being young. But there are also advantages that can come with age. Some of the most successful, impactful, and powerful people are older than the rest of us. Not everyone loves the aging process, but there are a few things that we can only learn as we get older and experience some of life's challenges.

---

Most people are really good at something. And if they are not, then they most likely could get really good at something, with some time, practice, and initiative.

Most of us have some type of strength. Not always physical strength, but something else.

Some of us are smart. Some of us are great with people. Others can work well with their hands. Or are born to lead. Or are responsible.

And if you don't have any apparent strengths - you're well-rounded (which is a strength).

The number of strengths is too great to completely list.

But I have noticed that most people don't use their strengths very often.

They focus more on weaknesses - on what they lack - rather than what they are really good at.

"An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage."

- Jack Welch

There are two words in the English language that I dread to hear.

Not because they are good or bad. And not because they are harmful, shameful, or scary.

I fear these words because I know that there is a secret, hidden truth that lurks behind them. And I often try to push that truth aside. It is easier to go through life without considering this great truth - most people never face it.

But at every juncture, and at every fork, the truth appears.

Why are these two words so hard to hear? Why do I, and others, dread their very utterance?

I hate to even type them, because they serve as the shot that starts the race that might never end.

"Valor withers without adversity."

- Seneca

Bad things happen to everyone.

And the bad news is not uniformly distributed, either. Some people bear more than others.

Adversity strikes early and often.

Many sayings and quips try to persuade us that adversity is just a stepping stone - that there is a way to bounce back, stronger than ever before.

Most of us have dreams that we would love to achieve. Some of us carry them close to us and share them freely. For some, everyone around us knows what they are. Others bury them, trying to survive and hoping that one day the dream can be unearthed.

"The formula for failure:a few simple errors in judgment repeated every day.

The formula for success: a few simple disciplines practiced every day. "

- Jim Rohn

Could a professional boxer suffer a severe neck injury and then fight again? Could the boxer become a world champion?

The answer is simple.

Yes.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

- Peter Drucker

Imagine if you could predict what would happen in the future.

What would you do? What would you avoid doing? How would your behavior change right now?

We all would like to predict the future.

But most of us cannot.

Most?

Yes, most.

"If everybody is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going exactly in the opposite direction."

- Sam Walton

Have you ever wanted to compete with someone who is much more successful than you are?

Have you ever wondered if you could play a game at a very high level? Or start a business that competed with the best of the best?

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

- Maya Angelou

Most of us have read something and then thought that the words were beautifully written.

Most of us have been moved by writing - either moved to tears, or moved to laughter, and sometimes both.

Sometimes we can read something and be moved to action. Our beliefs can be changed. Our entire world can change - from one well-written book, article, or even passage.

"Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right."

- Charlemagne

Most people love to give advice. They love when someone asks for their opinion. And even people who don't give good advice still love to give it.

But there is one thing that most people do not do before they give advice.

"Groundbreaking innovators generate and execute far more ideas."

- Frans Johansson

There is a tension that I have noticed in achievers. This tension involves what is more important: the idea or the execution of the idea.

Some argue that the idea is more important. Execution cannot occur without an idea first.

Others argue that the idea does not matter as much. A poorly executed idea is practically worthless. But a good idea executed well is priceless - and rare.