Why “Good” Is The Worst Enemy of “Best”
BY SONYA JONES
We’ve all heard the phrase, “The best is yet to come!” This simple phrase implies that if we’ll hang in there just a bit longer, we will experience something greater than we’re experiencing currently. However, how many of us give up, slow down or even quit before we reach the status of best? How many of us will settle for good simply because we really don’t comprehend everything that “best” encompasses?
Why would we settle for a B when we can get an A?
Why would we settle for a good relationship, when we can have one that blows our mind?
Why would we settle for a seat in coach when we can choose first class?
Maybe it’s because we’ve become so accustomed to things being ‘good enough’ that we’re actually somewhat fearful of being great.
Maybe it’s because we’ve become so complacent in our daily lives that we know it would take too much effort to obtain the level of greatness we truly desire.
Maybe it’s simply because we’re so weary of the daily grind of life that we decide that good enough is just that…good enough.
The biggest enemy of best is good. If we feast on a consistent diet of good, the idea of great can become overwhelming. But my goodness…if you taste the beauty of great one time, you’ll never settle for good again.
My favorite movie of all time is A League of Their Own. It’s a 1990s movie that shares the tumultuous story of the All American Girls’ Professional Baseball League. The star player on the Rockford Peaches is Dottie Hinson (played by Geena Davis). Dottie is coached by Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks). The night before Game 7 of the World Series, Dottie’s husband comes home from war. The next morning, Dottie’s team is loading the bus and Jimmy comes out to see Dottie dressed in her Sunday best. He walks over to her and the following conversation takes place.
Jimmy: “Takin’ a little daytrip, Dottie?”
Dottie: “No, Jimmy. Bob and I are driving home to Oregon. We want to start a family. I don’t need this…it’s just a game. I have Bob…I don’t need this.”
Jimmy: “I gave away five years at the end of my career and now there isn’t anything I wouldn’t give to get one day of it back…. Baseball is what gets inside of you. It’s what lights you up…You can’t deny that. Walking out like this… you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Dottie looks at Jimmy and says, “It just got too hard.”
Jimmy gets nose to nose with her and he looks her straight in the eye and he says these words: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what MAKES IT GREAT!”
IF IT WASN’T HARD, EVERYONE WOULD DO IT…THE HARD IS WHAT MAKES IT GREAT. OOHHHH!!!! Every time I hear that phrase I get goose bumps! I get goose bumps because losing 144 pounds on The Biggest Loser was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, but it was also the GREATEST THING I’ve ever done. And I say all of that to say this to you…
Don't you dare give up on your dreams because they’re “good enough.”
Don’t you dare give in to the rat race of mediocrity when your best life is right around the corner.
Don’t you dare let good enough rob you of what is best.
It’s out there – you just have to be determined enough, patient enough, unsettled enough to never be good with simply just, “being good enough.”
I remember years and years of a vicious cycle of trying to lose weight. I would hire really good trainers. They pushed me. They held me accountable. They helped me lose some weight…always to gain it back. In this area of my life, I didn’t even know GREAT was available to me. I had never tasted greatness in this area. However, something inside of me said, “try just one more time.”
In March of 2014 I filled out a silly little application online to become a contestant on The Biggest Loser. In June I was selected to be on the show and I had the opportunity to be trained by Jen Widerstrom, who I believe, with all of my heart, is the greatest trainer and coach on the planet. You see, when great coaching meets great effort, you get great life-lasting results. When great people connect to create great relationships you’ll never settle for a ‘good relationship’ ever again. I went for great because I didn’t settle for good. What’s your idea of great? Whatever it is…GO GET IT!
Greatness is in each one of us – sometimes it’s in a still, small voice that says, “try just one more time.” Sometimes it’s in the loud moments that blow your mind. But greatness always pushes us beyond the walls of the mundane and mediocre into the land of accomplishments and fulfillment like we have never known.
Don’t settle for good when mind-blowing is right around the corner.
Don’t settle for good when great is available.
Don’t let your good life keep you from being the greatest version of you that you could even imagine.
You deserve great – yes…you! Now go get it!
Sonya Jones, Platfor(u)m Contributor
P.S. Remember that no matter what you're going through right now, you don't have to do it alone! There are others like you in our community, where we interact on a daily basis, fight our demons, share our victories, and watch over each other as friends and accountability partners.
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