Three words - Part II

Read from Part I

Passion. I have always admired people who approach what they do with passion. It doesn't matter if you're a doctor or an entrepreneur or a pastor or a fast food worker. When you do what you do with passion, that passion shows. And it's contagious. Spending time with passionate people is energizing. It's like you automatically tap into their energy just by being around them.

And the opposite is awful. People who hate their work or their lives (especially those who don't seem to be doing anything to change their circumstances) create an atmosphere that is dark and draining. There is almost nothing less appealing to me, in men or women, than treating their work or their life with disdain or calling it drudgery.

The passion these MMA fighters possess is obvious. I mean, you would have to have a serious passion in order to walk into the octagon knowing what might be coming your way. It's sure not the money, at least not until you hit the big time...title fights, big endorsements and merchandising. A $20,000 payout might seem like a lot for a few minutes in the ring. But take away taxes, trainer fees, manager fees, equipment, travel and medical expenses, and you might be lucky to afford a new customized mouth guard.

Excellence. It seems to me that the pursuit of excellence is not valued the way it used to be. True, there are some situations where "good" is certainly good enough. But when "good enough" becomes as far as we ever want to bother to go, it becomes the new "excellent". What a depressing thought.

One of my favorite movies is Apollo 13. This is a true story of the triumph of excellence over the consequences of not-quite-good enough. In a machine with hundreds of thousands of parts, one single part - a damaged coil in an oxygen tank - caused an explosion. And it was the excellent work of thousands of people that saved those three astronauts. How might this story have ended if even a few of those thousands of people stopped short of their absolute best?

An MMA fighter must pursue excellence in a multitude of disciplines. It's not just about who is the biggest or the strongest. Striking, grappling, footwork, cardio conditioning and more. And on top of all that you have to know all the rules. A fighter who falls short in their work on any of these aspects of the game is not going to get very far.

But what I think I admire most about these guys is their focus.

(continued)