I’ve heard these words quoted from numerous people and I’m sure you have, too. At most times, I shrugged those words off without much thought. A few times, I even found the words offensive because, although I see myself as doing a lot of “good” things in life, I rarely if ever saw myself as doing anything that was great.
“Great” is often used to represent perfection, not just succeeding in what you do but being better than anyone else who has ever attempted it. Those definitions make it extremely difficult to achieve. It makes me think of GOATs (Greatest Of All Times) like Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, Babe Ruth, Simone Biles, and a host of others. These people performed at the pinnacle of their sports and far exceeded those around them.
There’s actually another version of “great” that I like to think of. It’s the “great” you achieve when you put forth your best effort. In my mind’s eye, that’s what takes something from being “good” to “great”.
Let me give you an example. I know a person who always wanted to run a marathon. She worked and worked and worked and worked until finally one day, she actually accomplished her task. She didn’t win the marathon, but she finished the race, and that was a pretty great accomplishment for her. She gave it her best effort.
Using that example, suddenly “great” doesn’t necessarily mean being better than others. It means doing the best you are able to do. I like that definition far better. And yes, “Good is the Enemy of Great” still applies because if we put forth an effort and say “that’s good enough”, we will probably never achieve great.
So, how does all of this apply to Myasthenia Gravis? You can choose to live your life putting forth a “good” effort or you can put forth your best effort and make your life great.
You’ve done some pretty great things in your life. You may not often think about how great they actually were. If you had children, that’s a pretty great achievement. If you had a successful career, that’s a pretty great achievement, as well. If you’ve ever helped someone who needed you, that was a great achievement. You did your best and that’s what made it so great.
Very few of us will ever be GOATs (Greatest of All Times), but being better than others never really inspired me. I was small, couldn’t run fast, was even rather sickly as a child, so odds were I was never going to become a sports legend, but that’s okay. I did a great job of being me.
With Myasthenia Gravis, many of us face physical limitations, but very few of us lack the ability to be great when it comes to the way we treat others. If we’re the smile that brightens someone else’s otherwise dim day, then that’s pretty great. When we provide encouragement to someone who needs it, then that’s pretty great, as well. When we tried our hardest to be someone others looked to for strength, then we achieved “great”.
My blogs aren’t the best. I realize that. But I also realize I’m doing the best that I can to help others, to lend support, to encourage, to inspire. That’s pretty great and something I’m proud of. I don’t have 100,000 followers, but if I touch the life of just one person, then I’ve done great things.
How do we achieve this? By giving our best effort in everything we do and realizing that greatness is achieved when we’ve reached it.
Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” It’s a good thing he didn’t stop at “good” because the lightbulb invention was pretty great. It’s a good thing my friend didn’t stop running at mile 12 thinking “that’s good enough” or she never would have known what it felt like to feel great.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be known as or remembered as the guy who had Myasthenia Gravis. I want to be known as the guy who inspired others in spite of having MG. I want to be remembered for the smiles I caused, not the pity I received. To do that, I need to focus on being great at the things I want to be remembered for.
In all you do, give it your best effort. Be a role model for others. Be a beacon of kindness. Be the person others love to be around. Then take the time to realize how really great that is.
When they say “Good Is the Enemy of Great”, it’s really true. If we only strive for “good”, “great will never be achievable.