Be Great Not Good

My dad once told me, "Good is the evil of great."  He had gotten that from a book.  I had forgotten name of it.  It is easy for someone to settle for being okay or good than to be great.  Everyone has heard of the expression, "Take what you can get or settle."  There is nothing negative about that phrase, because time does move fast and it is better than having nothing at all. No one wants to look back and say, "I have could have done a little better than what I had settle for."  It may be more work and harder to achieve greatness, but one gets to say, "I gave it my all,"  and have no regrets.  Being good limits oneself and holds on to untapped potential.  Even when someone is unsuccessful the first, second, or how many times, keep trying.  Being unsuccessful at something multiple times does not equate to failure.  Life is about experiencing.  Being unsuccessful at something in life is inevitable.  Overcoming barriers in life after multiple unsuccessful attempts is what is going to make someone to  be successful in life.  People learn more from mistakes than not.    From adversities, challenges bourn out stronger character and success.  Don't fear away from being great, take it by the horns.

Stay Strong And Persistent

One of the keys to reaching success in anything is to stay strong and persistent.  Any time a person is doing something whether it is a project, work, goal, etc. there are going period or periods of crunch time.  This can be time, resource, or anything that is a constraint to wherever one is trying to reach.  In one's mind, this can make someone's his or her lowest point in life at that moment.  What one should not do is to panic or call it quits.  One should remain calm, be optimistic and say he or she is going to get through this difficult moment.  For the most part, people do not like any sort of pressure, because it can mentally and physically wear someone out.  Believe or not, a little pressure is a good thing.  I am not saying dealing with pressure on a daily is good, but pressure here or there is. This is where a true person's character comes to fruition.  Some may fold under pressure, and may brush it off and say, "It was only one time," but that can enter and stay into someone's psyche.  Then when another encounter comes, that person is most likely going to do the same thing he or she did the first time.  If that person had gone through with the pressure and stay strong and persistent, he or she would had taken what he or she learnt from that incident, and would most likely succeeded through subsequent incidents.  Our bodies have muscle memory which has similar mechanisms as memory T and B cells in immunology.  Meaning if someone is going through a stressful situation and an event happens again in the future, the body is prepared for it and know how to handle it since it dealt with it before.  Even if you were unable to succeed the first time in a pressure situation, but fought through it, did not mean you fail.  Failing is when someone gives up entirely.  That person will continue to fail, if he or she sticks with a giving up mentality.  So all and all, stay strong and persistent in everything you do.  You will be thankful and become a stronger individual for it.

Finish What You Start

Most people have heard the saying, "It is not how you start, but how you finish."  Starting something can be exciting at first because one is already thinking about the potential benefits and wonders it can be bring to one's life.  It is easy to forget about the time it may take to reach the final product and the obstacles one is potentially going to go through in the process.  Things like this are most likely going to occur in about everything one is trying to do or to accomplish.  In a previous entry called Be Goal-Oriented , I wrote about the importance of setting goals, because it avoided being complacent.  If one gets complacent, then it is easy for him or her not to finish what he or she started.  Setting goals or deadlines can help someone reach that finish line.  There will be days where someone does not work or get tired at some point and feel like quitting.  It is okay to take breaks in between working on whatever one is trying to accomplish, but do not ever give up.  He or she will not be doing him or her any favors.  Giving up can be contagious.  If someone starts one project, then give up, he or she will most likely do the same thing if that person starts another project.  Facing adversity and going through challenges are what makes a person stronger and in most cases instill confidence in oneself.  Finishing what one has started builds character, such as being a leader, resilience, determination, and other positive attributes.  One will want to take on more tasks and finishing them, because one has been through challenges and know that it is possible to finish no matter how improbable it may seem at first.  Not only is giving up or failing contagious, but finishing or accomplishing is as well.  So all and all, finish what you started because you will be happier at the end than you were at the start.