The Battle of Good Vs. Great

When we think about a battle, we think in terms of good Vs. bad.  It is the right against the wrong or the good against the evil.  There is the side that will bring all manner of righteousness with it or the side that will bring pain and destruction.  However, many of the battles we face in life are not like this at all.  It is not a battle of control but one of choice.  The choice is this: do you want to be good at what you do or do you want to be great?

                For some, this may seem like an easy choice to make.  Success-minded people will say they want to be great every time.  But do we?  A quick examination of our behavior will show that too many times we are willing to settle for just the good in life rather than strive for the great.  We see it as an acceptable choice and one that requires less effort on our part.

                The real problem here is when we accept the lesser choice, we will keep excepting it in all areas of life.  There are four battles we all face on our journey to achievement.  These battles all have in common the choice between something that is acceptable and something that is better.  The choice you make here will determine the level of success you will have in your career and life.

"Think little goals and expect little achievements.  Think big goals and win big success."

- David Joseph Schwartz

American Businessman

#1:  Little Vs. Big

                It seems when people decide to accept little of anything, they make it either a moral or noble decision.  Let's use wealth as an example.  How many people say they do not want big money because they think in some way it is wrong or will corrupt them?  They act like to have little makes you a better person and more likely to do what is right.  Answer me this, how will you become generous when you have nothing to give?  How many people who have wealth buy lottery tickets or follow schemes to make them rich?  Remember this, if having wealth can corrupt you as a person, there is something wrong with who you are, not with wealth.

#2:  Possible Vs. Impossible

                There is a saying that goes, "If your goals don't frighten you they are not big enough."  That is so true.  When someone sets a goal that they know is possible for them to do, they will be more likely not to achieve the goal than the one who sets a goal they know is impossible.  Why is that?  Impossible goals motivate us and cause us to take the needed action to see it achieved.  Possible goals tend to make us feel there is no need to really try since it is possible to do the task we set.  When there is no challenge there is no desire to achieve.  You were created to achieve the impossible.  Never sell yourself short.

#3:  Ordinary Vs. Extraordinary

                If there is one thing a success-minded person is not, that is ordinary.  Nothing is wrong with being ordinary.  After all, the average person you meet is very ordinary.  That is what makes them average.  The success-minded person believes they were created for greatness.  They believe that they are to stand apart for the average and to achieve the things the other guy will not.  Notice, I said will not, not cannot.  What makes an extraordinary person?  It is the ordinary person who does extraordinary things.  The person who does not settle for the mediocre but strives for excellence in all they do and gives all they have.  American writer, Elbert Hubbard wisely said, " One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man."

#4:  Believable Vs. Unbelievable

                Some may be saying, "Now you can't be right with this one.  You must be able to believe in something for it to be effective in your life.  After all, even Jesus said, 'Only believe'".  I agree that it is of the utmost importance to believe, however, what are you believing.  If we only believe in what we know to be true, then we have limited ourselves greatly.  Believe in the unbelievable.  Why did Jesus keep telling people to believe?  It was because who He was and what He did was totally unbelievable.  It was too great for people to just believe outright.  It is not till we come to the place where we can embrace and believe the unbelievable that we can experience all the power and wonder that is there for us to live.

You can learn more about Personal Development from author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey.  To get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com. Be sure to sign up for the free membership and get even more tools to help you achieve your dreams.  

© 2018 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.