Urgent excellence is more than just doing things well; it’s about doing them well and quickly, recognizing that opportunities often have a limited window of time.

Life offers moments when everything aligns—a chance to achieve something great. Those who are both excellent and urgent in their actions are the ones who capitalize on these moments.

In the movie 8 Mile, Eminem’s character seizes his moment in a life-changing rap battle. The song “Lose Yourself” encapsulates the essence of urgent excellence: recognizing that you “only get one shot” and making the most of it.

Despite being labeled as lacking intelligence, Edison combined his sense of urgency with diligent work to hold the record for the most patents issued to an individual in the U.S. His inventions, like the light bulb and phonograph, changed the world because he seized his opportunities with excellence.

Once considered one of the 'dumbest' kids in his class, Dr. Carson used his mother’s insistence on reading and diligence to become one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons. He exemplified urgent excellence by recognizing the opportunity education provided and pursuing it relentlessly.

Opportunity often appears as hard work or a challenging task. Winners recognize opportunity and act on it with diligence and speed.

"The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity." This means that opportunities have a shelf life—they won’t last forever, so you must act quickly and excellently.

Keep your eyes open for chances to advance or improve. Opportunities often look like hard work or challenges, so don’t let them pass you by.

Don’t hesitate when an opportunity arises. Act with urgency, knowing that the window to succeed may close quickly.

In everything you do, strive for the highest quality. Excellence combined with urgency sets you apart from others who might be either slow to act or careless in their efforts.

Write down areas in your life where you are already practicing urgent excellence. Celebrate these areas as they represent your strengths.
Next, identify areas where you need to improve your sense of urgency or quality of work. Be honest with yourself and commit to making changes.

Write down your dreams and goals. Post them where you can see them every day. This practice keeps your goals at the forefront of your mind and helps you act on them.

Start with small actions that reflect urgent excellence in your daily life. Over time, this habit will lead to bigger successes as you become more attuned to recognizing and seizing opportunities.

Urgent excellence is the driving force behind success. It’s not just about being good at what you do but about recognizing the moment to act and doing so with diligence and speed. By cultivating this mindset, you prepare yourself to seize opportunities and transform your life.

Opportunity is knocking—are you ready to answer? Let’s go!