Raise your hand if you want a "pretty good" pilot to be in charge of your next flight. Raise your hand if you want a "pretty good" surgeon operating on you or a loved one in the near future. "Pretty good" is the enemy, folks. "Pretty good" stinks. "Pretty good" gets you beat. How many of you want the Cornhuskers to give a "pretty good" effort against Iowa next November in football?
It sounds pretty harsh, I guess, but as educators we have to fight back against "pretty good." As educators, we have to expect more form ourselves and those around us. We can't give a pretty good effort. We can't accept a pretty good performance. We have to have more.
Pretty good is the lowering of expectations. Pretty good is settling instead of excelling. Pretty good is comfortable, and that is the main problem. Being comfortable can be a huge problem for us. Don't be afraid to get OUT of our your comfort zone and push yourself to a higher level. The best achievements in life happen outside of your comfort zone!
Why settle for "pretty good" when you can be amazing? Does any mountain climber ever wake up and say they want to climb up that mountain half-way? Go big or go home. If you don't want to be the best, find something else to do. If you wash trucks for a living, clean them up like a world-champion. If you paint houses for a living, make each one your masterpiece. If you teach for a living, pour your heart and soul into every student you have, every single day. Be sensational.
Every little thing matters. Yes, it causes stress and discomfort. Yes, it puts pressure on you. Winning and success aren't easy. They start with the mindset that pretty good is the enemy. Many of our grandparents used to tell us that "if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right." Let's keep that ideal alive.
Don't be pretty good....you're better than that. Be spectacular.
