Four years ago I published The Exceptionals, a book highlighting why a very small set of people become the best in the world at what they do. I spent time with some of the greatest athletes, musicians, business leaders, Nobel Laureates and many ultra-high achievers and uncovered the common traits shared by all of them. If you wish to become the best at what you do, or want to helps your kids, you need to apply these principles to your life. I will share much of what I have learned here. Becoming exceptional is not what you have been told it is.

The only way to excel on the biggest stage or during the biggest moments is to excel when nobody’s watching!!

Who influences you to step up and get better? It can be anybody you look up to, a mentor, a friend, a peer, a spouse. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the most celebrated songwriting duo in history did that for each other. While each was immensely talented, neither would have been as successful alone as they were together. Each provided mentoring, coaching, support, competition, and encouragement to the other. They helped each other write songs and often wrote songs together, and they filled in musical voids that the other left open. They influenced each other through rivalry as well. The motivation and desire to outwrite each other elevated them to a level of excellence the musical world has not seen since. This cross-influence allowed them to keep getting better all the time.

Michael Phelps epitomized the idea of "No Zero Days." He believed that if you took a day off from training, it would take you two days to get back what you lost during the off day. If you are trying to achieve any significant goal remember that "zero days", or days where you do nothing towards achieving it will prevent you from achieving it. Do something, even if its just a little towards your goal every day. No Zero Days.

Any organization always has inefficiencies, especially one as large as the US government, and removing inefficiencies is prudent. However, when looking for budget cuts, we need to ensure that we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater because if that happens, we will be watching the next wave of innovation from the sidelines instead of leading it. Read on... forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2025…

You know you need to save money for your retirement, but are you building and saving excess brain capacity for use when you get older? Learn more about why you need to build up your cognitive reserves forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2024…

The gold medalists at Paris are a different breed altogether. There is a very specific mindset and determination gold medalists have that other Olympians lack. Read what differentiates the elite (Olympians) and super-elites (gold medalists) here.... forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2024…

Here is a list of concerns parents have. While mental health concerns top the list, hard to imagine that 45% of parents are concerned that their kid will get shot.

Hosting a golf major means building a temporary city on the golf course that supports thousands of people for a week, and then disappearing as if it never existed. Here is what goes into a putting on a major. Thanks Jackie Endsley @LPGA @KPMGWomensPGA forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2024…

I was expecting better internet speed at Starbucks.

Bryson DeChambeau won the US Open because of his mindset right before his bunker shot on 18; Rory McIlroy missed his putt for of the same reason. Read why one was able to make a difficult shot look easy, whereas the other faltered on an easier shot forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2024…

Late in the evening and only one person @PhilMickelson left grinding it out on the range. Tough day, but the elite in every field knows the effort it takes to get to the top.

Do you get distracted and give in to instant gratification? Read on to understand why you succumb to instant gratification and how you can make life optimizing choices... forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2022…

A lot of discussion today on @TalorGooch comments about @livgolf_league format of 54 holes being exciting for fans. Here is what golf can learn from other sports that did the same thing forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2024…

The desire for instant gratification is rooted in our survival. Our basic needs (food, drink, sex, sleep) are designed to provide pleasure and these are the acts we indulge in when we seek instant gratification. Instant gratification is simply seeking pleasure over pain. We all fall prey to it, but there are ways we can overcome it. Read on forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2022…

It @TheMasters week. And while no one knows who will be victorious on Sunday afternoon, I have a pretty good idea as to the qualities and attributes that will win. Read on (I wrote this a few years ago, but nothing has changed in what it will take to win The Masters) forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2019…

The 2023 Masters final round was watched by 12 million people. The NCAA women's semi-final yesterday between Iowa and UConn crushed that number with 14 million viewers. Along with being greater than every game of the world series and every NBA final game. Stars draw viewers.

Here is why @CaitlinClark22 , the @uiowa star is exceptional at basketball, and what you and your kids can learn from her and everyone else who have become the best at their craft. forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2024…

The most frequent phrase heard in my home is “where is my phone?” Is that the same for you?