1.31.22

Jon Gold, M.A | Go 4 Gold

Do You Want to be Great?

I’ve been thinking over this idea and asking myself over and over again – “are you willing to be great.”  For me it depends….  Am I willing to be a great person? Yes! Am I willing to be a great baseball coach? Not anymore. A great podcast host? Not anymore. Figure out if you want to pursue excellence and why. 

The first step is that we need to define success and greatness individually. For me greatness and success is living in alignment with my values and priorities, and being a good person that does less harm.  I have made this a very simple concept for myself. I strive to do good by others as I would want others to do good by me. I want to be a pleasant person to be around – a good brother, friend, provider, partner and so on. 

Now the question becomes what am I willing to do and what will I do to get myself to be a good person consistently? 

For me it comes down to a few things such as reading, breathing, journaling, meditating, blogging, exercising, and doing some practical research as a provider on occasion. If I take care of myself and work on myself in these areas I am generally a better person. NOT perfect, but good.  If you want to be great chase excellence not perfection. 

If you aren’t willing to do the things that help you achieve your own view of greatness or success, then you need to redefine them or just admit that you don’t want to be great in that specific area – That’s more than fine!  Again, I wanted to be a baseball coach, a great one. I spent time researching the field, connecting with people in the field, investing time and energy in the process of working in the field for a few years. What changed you ask?  I don’t know, but I wasn’t willing to do what was required anymore, and I found something else that was more fulfilling and something that was more in tune with who I am (mental health and mental performance).  I followed my passions until they changed and I accepted that change and continued forward. 

What success is one minute can be different the next. Success wasn’t always the same and the work involved has shifted to mirror my priorities and focus. For example, wanting to be a professional baseball player or coach vs. being a good dog dad entails a different set of tasks and skills. Less cage time and more walk time. 

Our world is constantly changing, and we need to be able to adapt to such changes so that we can evolve.  Not only do we need to be aware of the changes externally, but we also must be open to seeing the naturally occurring changes within us. Increased awareness is growth. 

So you tell me, how do you define success and greatness for yourself ?

Are you willing to be great and do what it takes to get there? 

Through my mentor I’ve come to this conclusion for myself:  “good is good, and good is good enough.”

Be well,

Jon Gold

About the Author: https://go4gold.net/about/

For more of Jon’s blogs and articles please visit https://go4gold.net/blog/