Many of us have heard of the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. It is a somewhat common book used in business culture on how some companies progress from being pretty good to leaping forward, crossing the divide, and being great. It is when I lived and trained in Indiana that I was introduced to this book.
You have heard the phrase, "Don't let good get in the way of great."
It can be easy for us to stop pursuing higher realms when we're doing a good job. We hear people cheering us on with, "Good job!" "Way to go!" "Nicely done!" How common is it that we have someone in our lives reminding us that we could still do better, that we could still do great? If you run everyday, people will be impressed. If you run over 5miles they'll think you're in incredible shape. If you win your age group, people will ask you about your prize. But reflect for a moment - Could you complete a few training runs a little better? Could you prepare for each day with a little more focus so you can knock your track session out of the park? Could you have put more of a gap on 2nd place?
This idea of 'good getting in the way of great' is fairly common, yet having those people in your corner supporting you to reach higher or dig deeper is less common. For some, it's mom or dad. For some it's another family member, an inspiring athlete, or a ruthless teammate. For others it's a coach that is there for you helping you realize that you're not maxed out and that your good is not great. You may have motivation deep down inside you, but still - find someone that checks up on you and once in a while either calls you out or eggs you on to one rung higher like Coach Pat Summit did year in and year out with the Lady Vols basketball team.
On the flipside, I was talking with my friend, Beth last week.
(She also writes a blog = http://www.discombobulatedrunning.com/ )
In 2014 she competed in an Ironman. Many people see a marathon or an Ironman as the ultimate challenge. Beth did. She is very involved in the athletic world and wanted to 'stack up' amongst others and challenge herself to the fullest.
Since crossing the line in 2014, Beth has had a tough time getting motivated again. She's had a tough time determining what holds value and what to do next. I get it. Since doing an Ironman, why care about a 1/2 Ironman? Since running a marathon at 8min pace, what worth does a 4mi run at 9min pace hold? What's the point of it? Who cares? Why do it?
If you have been in this situation before, you can relate that 'great is getting in the way of good' and it's frustrating. Have you been running a workout or a race and noticed that it's not going great = you're not going to win or you're not going to PR? How good can you still compete and finish? Great athletes have great and good races, not great and 'oh it's not going to happen - throw in the towel' races.
And finally (so you realize I'm not a terrible speller...and yes, my laptop has the red scraggly spellcheck line), a fun website introduced to me by my friend Morgan in 2013 is www.greatist.com The MOVE section is fun for some new ideas here and there. It's better geared towards fitness than championship racing, but hey, I'm often in tunnel-vision and don't mind an outside influence every so often.
Who do you have to keep supporting you in great endeavors? Who's your Coach Pat Summit?
Was today good? Was today great? Was today one of your Greatist days?
You have heard the phrase, "Don't let good get in the way of great."
This idea of 'good getting in the way of great' is fairly common, yet having those people in your corner supporting you to reach higher or dig deeper is less common. For some, it's mom or dad. For some it's another family member, an inspiring athlete, or a ruthless teammate. For others it's a coach that is there for you helping you realize that you're not maxed out and that your good is not great. You may have motivation deep down inside you, but still - find someone that checks up on you and once in a while either calls you out or eggs you on to one rung higher like Coach Pat Summit did year in and year out with the Lady Vols basketball team.
On the flipside, I was talking with my friend, Beth last week.
(She also writes a blog = http://www.discombobulatedrunning.com/ )
In 2014 she competed in an Ironman. Many people see a marathon or an Ironman as the ultimate challenge. Beth did. She is very involved in the athletic world and wanted to 'stack up' amongst others and challenge herself to the fullest.
 |
| (Beth - http://www.discombobulatedrunning.com/ , photo courtesy of Daryl Wilson) |
If you have been in this situation before, you can relate that 'great is getting in the way of good' and it's frustrating. Have you been running a workout or a race and noticed that it's not going great = you're not going to win or you're not going to PR? How good can you still compete and finish? Great athletes have great and good races, not great and 'oh it's not going to happen - throw in the towel' races.
And finally (so you realize I'm not a terrible speller...and yes, my laptop has the red scraggly spellcheck line), a fun website introduced to me by my friend Morgan in 2013 is www.greatist.com The MOVE section is fun for some new ideas here and there. It's better geared towards fitness than championship racing, but hey, I'm often in tunnel-vision and don't mind an outside influence every so often.
 |
| (Morgan, #25, photo courtesy of WVU Sports) |
Who do you have to keep supporting you in great endeavors? Who's your Coach Pat Summit?
Was today good? Was today great? Was today one of your Greatist days?
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