Dualism: Good vs Great
“Don’t settle for good, when you were destined to be great.”
- Charles Glassman
I went to see a good friend speak at a local event. He was always solid. I was excited to hear what he had to say. Even though I had heard him speak a bunch of times, I always came away motivated.
I hadn’t seen him speak in a few months, so my expectations were high.
He was … good.
After the event, he was getting the pats on the back from the people who had just watched him speak for an hour. He turned to me with a big smile and said, “Well, how did you like it?” I nodded and said, “It was good.” His reflex was to say “thanks” and move on. Which he did.
And then he stopped and turned back to me and said, “Did you just say “good”?”
I nodded and I said, “Yep, you were good.”
He was the pulled away by organizers of the event, and I went my way.
The next day I got a call from my friend. Before we could even get into the pleasantries he said, “What do you mean I was, just good?”
For the next 20 minutes WE talked about the holes in his talk. And then he said, “You’re right, I mailed it in.”
Being Good Enough Isn’t Good Enough
How many times do you just “mail in” an effort? It may be an assignment. It might be time with your significant other, or your children. It may be at work or with your family. You settle for a “good effort”, when you know you can do so much better.
How do you feel when someone just gives you a “good effort”? They come in, they shake hands, they smile, they throw out a word salad, and then they leave. They checked you off their box of things that needed to get done. Did you feel special that they could come in and grace you with their time, or did you feel let down?
Now put this in perspective.
In your professional life do you want to be “good” or do you want to be “great” or maybe the “best ever”.
A great musician doesn’t become great by singing good songs and putting on good shows.
A great author didn’t become great by writing a good book.
If you are truly destined to be great you can NEVER give a “good effort”. You need to push all the average ways out of your life and hold yourself to a higher level.
I have been part of many championship teams. “Good” was never on the table.
On those teams if you were good, you didn’t see the field. Those eleven positions were only earned by those who were great and above.
There wasn’t and room for “good” practices.
Because the great players and coaches that ran the practices wouldn’t allow it.
I’ve watched championship coaches like Pat Summitt, Nolan Richardson, Barry Alverez, Scotty Conley and Pete Carroll push their teams through what would have been a “good practice”, into what ended up being great practice.
These coaches would never settle for “good”, and neither should you.
Never Settle
If you believe you are destined to be great you need to never settle for good. You need to hold yourself to a higher standard. This not only goes for you but it also extends to the people around you. If you set the bar high, they will get there. If they can’t then they didn’t belong in your circle.
The next time you perform and someone says to you, “That was really good.” Ask them, “What would have made it great?” If they fall over themselves telling you what you just did ‘was’ “great” then why didn’t they use that word to begin with? Force people to be truthful. That way when you are killing it – you will know you are being told the truth.
Those who are willing to tell you the truth about your effort should be held in high regard.
In Hans Christian Anderson’s tale entitled, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, it took a child to tell the emperor he was naked when all around him, his “trusted” advisors, told him how regal he looked, when in actuality he less than regal.
The advisors were happy to tell the emperor what he wanted to hear. It’s the ones who are not afraid to risk your “friendship” that are willing to explain to you what is missing in your life.
Knowing The Difference
There is a difference between people who are telling you are good and those who are willing to tell you that your effort was only “good”.
It’s like two different anchors. One anchor keeps you from crashing into the rocks. These are the people who are there to help you.
And there are the anchors who stop you from traveling as far as you are destined. These are the haters. They don’t want you to succeed, because it reduces them as a person.
They are reduced because when you become successful people will ask them, “Weren’t you two friends? How did that person go so far, while you are still where you started?” They don’t want that, so if they hold you back, they won’t have to face their failures.
Set Your Goals Higher Than You Can Imagine
Our greatest strength is within each of us. It is our desire to chase our dreams and make them real.
When we understand how far we want to travel we won’t be can’t allow ourselves to slow down. We can’t carry baggage that slows us down. We need to push ourselves and to allow ourselves to be pushed by those who truly understand who we are, and what our goals and dreams are.
If we don’t allow ourselves to think BIG then we are hindering our own chances to achieving BIG things.
The great artist Michelangelo once said. “The problem is not setting the goal too high and missing it, but it is not setting the goal far enough … and getting it.”
Never be the one that leaves meat on the bone. Not only eat all the meat, take out the marrow, but then use the bone as a tool to help make your greatest aspirations come o fruition.
Those who settle for good will always be “wishing” and “hoping”. Those who don’t accept good will always be “doing” and “being” what they have always wanted to do.
Never settle for “good” when “great” is within reach!
Have an amazing day!
