Tip #49: Be Better Than Good

Don’t Expect Good From Yourself, Expect Great!

Good is the enemy of great. Great is something you should expect from yourself, not just accept from yourself. In this video, we’ll look at why this statement holds true and what we can do to escape mediocrity.

In our day-to-day lives, we’re constantly surrounded by people who are good at what they do. Whether it be a business acquaintance or a family member, these people are simply good at whatever it is they do.

However, when it comes to being great, most people seem to struggle with that. Whether it’s in business or personal life, most people are content with being “just good” rather than striving to be great.

Why do you think that is? Why is achieving greatness so difficult for most people?

I think it’s because the standards for what makes someone “great” are extremely high; much higher than just being “good” at something. And most people see that as a hurdle that they think is either to big to overcome or it may be a matter that they don’t want to do the work to become great.

Greatness is not an easy feat to accomplish

Being “great” at something takes a lot of hard work and effort. Being great at something is an extremely difficult journey that takes a lot of time and patience.

One of the reasons we struggle with being great is that it takes a lot of time to get there. From the moment we start pursuing greatness, the journey is long and arduous. Achieving greatness doesn’t happen overnight. It takes consistent and relentless effort to get there. The pressure to be great, however, doesn’t end there. The expectations and demands of being great are even higher compared to just being “good”. When you think about the time and effort it’s pretty easy to see why most people won’t undertake the journey to greatness.

Being good is the path of least resistance

When you pursue being good at something, it is usually the path of least resistance. Being good takes very little effort and commitment. When you’re good at something, it’s usually just a matter of time and persistence. Being good is something that may take you a couple of months or a year to achieve. However, being great takes consistent hard work, effort, and commitment. It could take years! You know the 10,000 hours experience thing.

Most people don’t want to commit to the long and arduous journey that comes with being great. Rather than taking the long and tedious road to greatness, most people would rather take the path of least resistance and settle for being good.

Good is the enemy of great

I sort of already touched on this. Now, it’s time to dig a little deeper into this. Let’s say you’re learning to play the piano, and you’re working with a teacher once a week. If you’re just “good” at playing the piano, you may not want to stretch past what your teacher lays out for you to practice. But If you want to be a “great” piano player, you’ll have to put in a lot more effort. You’ll have to spend more time practicing, you’ll have to be more consistent, and you’ll have to put in more effort.

Now, when you want to be great at something, a lot of times, it’ll require a lot more sacrifice. Being great takes more work and effort than being just good. And like I stated earlier when you want to be great at something, the expectations and demands are even higher.

Why should you expect greatness from yourself?

You should expect greatness from yourself because that is the only way you’ll ever achieve it. You’ll never be “great” at something unless you expect it from yourself first. You’ll never become “great” at something unless you make the decision to commit to it and take the necessary steps to get there.

Being “great” at something requires a lot of hard work and effort. And that’s why you should expect greatness from yourself. Only when you expect greatness from yourself, will you be willing to make the sacrifices that are required to get there. You’ll have to be more consistent, put in more effort, and make more sacrifices. However, when you want to be great at something, it shouldn’t be something you strive to be. It should just be something you know you’re capable of.

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to be perfect

Being perfect is the enemy of greatness. In our pursuit to achieve greatness, we sometimes fall into the trap of trying to be perfect. To many, trying to be perfect is an easier alternative to trying to be great.

Unfortunately, this mentality is what prevents most people from ever reaching their full potential. Being perfect is an illusion that is impossible to achieve. When you try to be perfect, you’ll never be great because you’ll never get there. It’s something that you can never fully accomplish.

When you try to be perfect, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’re setting yourself up for mediocrity because there’s no end to perfection. You can always strive to be better and achieve more. But, you’ll always be trapped in a state of mediocrity.

The more you try to be perfect, the more you’ll find yourself stuck in mediocrity. Mediocrity is defined by perfectionism and pride. When we try to be perfect, we’re trying to achieve perfection rather than striving for greatness. So, when we try to be perfect, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.

We want to be perfect so that no one will ever know what it feels like to break down because we can never really reach our potential. The more you try to be perfect, the more your ability and potential are diminished. Your success will always come from a greater desire than your ability or potentially does now.

Here’s the most important part…you can never truly achieve greatness because there is no end to perfectionism at work within each of us. It’s impossible for us to ever reach our full potential in life because there is no end to mediocrity at work within us all.

How do become great?

There are many ways to achieve greatness, but there are four that I think are especially relevant.

1) Have a clear goal for what you want to achieve. This is the most important thing to have in place if you want to be successful. It will help you stay focused and motivated, and it will help you set goals that are realistic. It will also give you something to look forward to once you’ve achieved your goal.

2) Set milestones along the way. This gives you something to work towards, and it will keep you focused on the ultimate goal. It can be as simple as finishing a workout every day or completing a certain number of reps of an exercise. Just make sure that these milestones are realistic and that they’re manageable.

3) Be consistent. Nothing worthwhile comes easy, so don’t expect everything to fall into place easily. Instead, work hard at whatever it is that you’re doing and be prepared for setbacks along the way. Remember that it’s not going to happen overnight, so take things step by step and don’t get frustrated when things don’t go according to plan right away.

4) Be patient. Don’t expect things to happen overnight; instead, allow time for them to unfold naturally over time. Don’t force things or rush things along in order to meet unrealistic expectations of yourself or others. Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a month and underestimate what they can achieve in a year. Delay the desire for instant gratification and go for greatness over a longer term instead.

In conclusion, what does all of this mean?

It means we live in an era where there is an increasing trend towards mediocrity and mediocrity is also increasing within society as a whole. It’s not a bad thing if you want it or not; but if you don’t want it, then don’t pursue it like that! The problem with mediocrity and mediocrity is that they both lead people down the path toward mediocrity.

In order to get to greatness, you have to be better than your competition. You have to be better than everyone else in a sport or industry or whatever. You cannot achieve greatness unless you do more than what everyone else is doing. There’s no reason why we should strive for mediocrity and mediocrity when we can achieve greatness by achieving excellence and excellence is the best form of mediocrity.

Greatness is what all of us should aspire to. It is the result of hard work and determination. You can achieve great results in your life if you are willing to put in the necessary effort. The journey to greatness is not an easy one, but it is definitely worth the effort. If you want to achieve greatness in your life, you must be prepared to put in the effort and hard work required.

Do you have a question about achieving your greatness? Would you like my help in putting a plan together? For qualified people, I’m offering free 45-minute strategic coaching sessions where I work together to help you lay out your strategic greatness plan. Just go to www.TryASession.com in order to sign up for your complimentary strategic coaching session.