[trx_quote cite="#" title="Mandy Green"]How can I be great, not good?[/trx_quote]

Do You Want to Be Good or Great?

My college team just finished up our spring season yesterday with our annual spring Alumni game.  Yesterday after the game as I was trying to decompress from our busy spring season of recruiting, games, practices, and meetings with my team, my assistant/husband asked how I thought the game went.  My first response was, “there was a lot of good stuff that happened BUT, it still wasn’t great.”
To give you an idea of the evolution of my team over the last 7 years, my team started with going from really bad to ok.  Then we went from ok to inconsistently good.  Now, it’s time to progress some more.
As I am trying to take the next step in the development of my Division 1 soccer team into one that wins more than we lose (we are so freaking close it is driving me bonkers), my mission all spring has been to quit settling for good and find more ways to be great.
As coaches, you might have experienced what you end up with when you're going for good. When you just aim for good, you get something less than good or maybe good. Everybody knows nothing happens with just good. Nobody reports on good. They report on great.
As you are finishing up your spring training or seasons, I want to put one question in your mind that I want you to start asking yourself EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. as you are figuring out what you want to accomplish that day.
How can I be great, not good?
For example, how can I be a great coach, not a good coach?  How can I be a great recruiter, not a good recruiter?  How can I have a great marriage, not a good marriage? How can I be a great mom, not just a good one?
What is the difference between the good coach and the great coach?
The level of commitment.
Committing is when you make a firm decision. Commit and be done with it! Whenever I commit fully to any line of action I get immediate results. When I’m not committed 100 percent I find that results are delayed or non-existent.
What I have learned from asking myself this question every morning is that is has changed the way I work.  My to-do list has been significantly reduced as I am reaching for great instead of settling for good.  I’m getting better at finishing what I start.  I have learned what tasks need to be worked on and which ones can be delayed or eliminated altogether.  I am less tolerant to distractions that keep me at good and prevent me from making progress towards great.  It has helped to keep me focused.
What's your target coach, good or great? Take an honest look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.  Are your habits causing you to be good or are they leading you to great?
Don't settle for good when you can be great. Just make a decision. It doesn't mean you’re going to succeed today. It doesn't even mean you’re going to be good at it today. But go for great every day. You’ve got to keep that in front of your face. If you think good is your target, you might end up with less than good. If you think great is the target, good you will attain.  “Aim for the moon and you still may find yourself among the stars…”
Mandy Green