We all know, watch, and hear about people who are considered exceptional. Professional athletes, high-level politicians, renowned scientists, and celebrities. These people are often times lauded by general people for some special talent or skills which they have. Many envy these exceptional people, some desire nothing more to be considered so far above their peers. So then, what makes these exceptional people different from the average? What is so fundamentally important about the way that society's "1%" works, that makes them so notably excellent?

My experience in the rock climbing world has put me in contact with several world-class and nationally competitive rock climbers. There is one trend that I see through every single person who excels in the climbing community— they all have an insatiable drive and passion for what they do best. Every aspect of what they do is focused around climbing; they not only love climbing, but they eat, sleep, and breath climbing. This is what it takes to be successful. Yes, to be competitive at a very high level of anything requires an aptitude for that thing; however, aptitude is not enough. The level of work and effort that those who do exceptional things is significantly higher than the norm, and those who excel are willing to conquer all odds against them (for example, a climber losing a finger and getting kidnapped in Kyrgyzstan). The average response to hardship and pain is to give in and use it as an excuse for failure. Being exceptional comes from a mental approach to challenges and problems, not about luck or even being born for exceptionalism.

This leaves many people thinking that they are simply not up to the task for achieving a high level of greatness. They think that those who are great are some supernatural creatures who don't feel the same defeat or pain that they feel when they fail. They think that the exceptionals of the world are simply beyond them, intangible. This is where people really fail. The average person puts these people to whom they look towards in a separate category, but this is not true. The only thing that is exceptional about exceptional people is that they do incredible things. As obvious as it sounds, we don't treat great people that way, and it carries serious implications. If climbing has taught me anything, it's that with effort, training, and most of all, persistence, greatness are tangible. Those who compete at the highest level in the climbing community or even those who create the hardest first ascents are human just like me. They feel the fear, the failure, and the hardships all the same as me, but they don't use those as an excuse to quit. They use failure and hardship as an inspiration to push harder and become better.

I believe that every single person is capable of exceptional success. People are not born with greatness in them, people build greatness out of legitimate hard work and a willingness to fight through pain so that they come out on top. Eric Thomas, a motivational speaker, when questioned about success asked, "Are you ready to sacrifice who you are...for what you want to become?" This is the root of exceptional people; they are willing to use their talents and amplify them to the point of greatness through scratching and clawing their way through all of the pain and the hardships on the road to great accomplishments. Exceptionalism is about wanting to succeed as much as you want to breathe, and everyone is capable of this kind of drive. It is difficult, and requires great passion, but everyone is able to exceptional. Never let go of your goal, fight until the last breath for it, and you will find that you become exceptional.