I Wasn’t Born a Top Achiever, I Chose to Become One!

Back in 2007, during Grade 11, I made a life-changing decision that I am forever grateful for.

My Turning Point

Like many of us, growing up, no one in my family had ever made it past Grade 12. I didn’t have a clear idea of the future I wanted to create or the effort it would take to get there. In that moment, I noticed something about a particular classmate. She consistently scored high grades yet still had time to busk in the sun with the rest of us. Her secret? The telltale signs were the eye bags she had each morning coming to school, revealing her late-night dedication to her work. It wasn’t until the end of Grade 11 that I figured out her strategy: she played hard during the day and worked even harder at night.

Adopting Her Strategy

At the end of Grade 11, a friend and I decided to follow her strategy. Our goal was simple: surpass her grades in Grade 12. A friend and I made a quiet decision to adopt her approach and we were determined to surpass her grades in Grade 12. We were extremely determined, and every time we received our marks, we checked our progress to make sure our plan was on track—this continued throughout the entire year. We did all of this without her knowing. I’m sure she had no idea what hit her, she probably thought her grades were slipping. However, in reality, she was still putting in her best effort. The only difference was that we were now bringing our A-game too.

The Lesson

What I’m trying to share is this: To achieve results you've never had, you have to do things you've never done. Your potential is already there; it just needs to be unleashed.

If you want to see a change in your results, CHANGE your habits.