You were born to live a life full of excellence. Each person, regardless of their deficiencies and disposition, has something they can offer the world that will lead to a life of enrichment and add unique value for the rest of us to enjoy. Unfortunately, the majority of us will pass up this opportunity of personal fulfillment and outward success by failing to act on what drives us.

We look at superstars who have soared to the top ranks of their field and wish we were them. We wonder what it took for them to achieve and envy the luck they must have had to get there. But upon closer examination, it becomes apparent everyone has the capacity for greatness within them. The difference between champions and couch potatoes has little to do with talent and everything to do with grit.

Angela Duckworth, a University of Penn professor, defines grit as passion and perseverance. Passion is the starting point. If you’re going to excel, you have to love what you’re doing for the sake of itself. Whether it’s social work or sports or science, what you love to do is the starting point for where your greatness lies. Passion gives you the initial interest, but more is needed to become excellent. The grittier a person is, the more effort they put into their respective field over time. It is this persistence that turns skill into greatness. In combination, the love of an area of expertise combined with continued intentional practice is what creates human excellence (For more on this, read Grit: The power of passion and perseverance, Duckworth, 2016).

Passion is the spark. Persistence is the fire. Excellence lights up the world.

But too many of us trifle our time away either believing we’re not capable or wasting our lives doing things we’re not passionate about. “I can’t” is the biggest lie you’ve ever told yourself.

There are two types of this doubt. This first is saying “I can’t” when you truly believe it. Of course, there are strict physical limitations where “I can’t” may be true, but we use this term of disbelief in far greater circumstances. It may be true that you can’t swim across the Atlantic, but it’s false that you can’t find time to pursue what you’re passionate about.

This leads to the second type, using “I can’t” as an excuse to avoid trying. In doing this, you’re choosing to limit your own potential, because it’s easier to allow inertia to keep you on your present course. Belief in and acknowledgement of your own ability is the first step on your journey to live your best life.

The next step is to stand up and do something about it.

Evolution has caused our bodies and brains to desire repetition. It simplifies life. When we have learned behavior, we don’t have to think as much about what we’re doing. This works both for and against you. I would argue that people who workout everyday and people who shoot heroine are both addicts. It just so happens that one addiction results in a six pack and the other results in a body bag.

You are what your habits have made you.

You have the ability to change them.

Most of us don’t have habits that will kill us (at least immediately), but have the more mischievous, time-sucking, life draining habits of mediocrity. These are things you do everyday that add no lasting value to your life. It’s the job you hate. It’s the event you attend only because you feel obligated to. It’s binge-watching Netflix. It’s your Facebook newsfeed. These activities are keeping you away from what you’re passionate about. They’re taking your time away from perseverant, intentional development of the passion which internally gives purpose to your being. And over time, this is what separates the average person from the person who excels.

People who make a significant impact have an unwavering resolve to improve themselves, particularly in the areas they are passionate about. They purposefully remove the distractions.

We waste so much time distracting ourselves, wishing we had something different, or complaining about how someone else is holding us back. If we transformed this time into productive effort in an area we love, we would not only transform our own lives into the lives we desire most, we would also transform the world into a beacon of prosperity and abundance.

We don’t all have the same skills. We all didn’t start with the same resources. But what creates the biggest difference is what we believe about ourselves. In case you’ve never been told before, you have a unique ability to add greatness to the world that no one else can offer.

Pessimists will tell me I’m wrong; that everyone won’t be excellent. While this may be true, it’s not because they can’t be. It’s because they won’t spend the time aggressively pursuing what they love. They won’t persevere though enough early mornings, late nights, road blocks, naysayers and failures that are required to become excellent. Most people will give up because they don’t believe in themselves.

But the general mediocrity of humanity shouldn’t matter to YOU, because what most people do is irrelevant to what you choose to do with your life.

You can believe in yourself. You can discover what your passion is. You can persevere through the challenges you encounter and become excellent in the area you love. And in doing this, you will create the life you want to live, a life of excitement and fulfillment, and at the same time, improve the lives of everyone you encounter.