 There's no one that will dispute the fact that you have to work hard in order to be successful in anything. That's been beaten over us since we were little children. You have to work hard. You have to work hard. We get it. But we have to understand that there is a connection and that there is another side of the coin. Working hard is a choice. When you all consistently put in a good effort is because you chose to do so. But that means there has to be another side of the coin. That means working, not working hard, is also a choice. But most people don't own that half. When they give a good effort, they're the first to step up and acknowledge that they gave a good effort. When you call someone out, hold them accountable for not giving their best effort, that's usually when excuses start to come forth. I was tired. I wasn't feeling well. I was hungry. I was this. I was that. Again, as compassionate and empathetic teammates and leaders, we know what it's like to be hungry or to not feel well or to not have slept. We know it. But we can't let people slide with the fact that you still chose not to give your best effort. That is a choice. And the only way to perform at your potential and to your highest level is to consistently choose to give your best effort in everything that you do. Now, there's not a human being on the planet that bats a thousand with that. There'll be times where every single one of us will choose whether consciously or unconsciously not to give our best effort. The goal is to insulate ourselves with people that will hold us accountable for that, tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear, and to make that choice less frequently. But the first step is acknowledging that it's a choice. You cannot continue to deflect and give reasons for not giving your best. If you haven't eaten and you've been sick and you haven't gotten good sleep and you only have 60% in your gas tank, I understand you're not going to set a personal record that day, but you still choose whether or not to give 100% of the 60% that you have. And when other people are counting on you, when you're in an organization, you need everyone to consistently make that choice. Because if they don't, they're stealing from you. If we are a team and you consistently choose not to give your best effort, you are taking lunch off of my plate and we can't let that happen. Remember, when you're a part of a team, you are choosing to be a part of something bigger than yourself. You are trading some of the me for the we. You are consciously saying that it is not about me, it is about us. And the team needs you to give your best effort as consistently as possible.