I refer to this story often because I feel it truly epitomizes the essence of complacency.
I was a part of a staff that was coaching a team that happened to be ranked #1 in the state by news paper reporters. I didn't care at all and if I had my way, there would've been zero mention of it on the practice field or I the locker room.
On the field, I have two modes, Teaching Mode and Game Mode. When it's teaching, it's slower, it's more thoughtful, we focus on form and footing, etc. When it's game mode, it's everything we just learned in teaching mode but as fast as possible, as hard as possible, as intense as possible, as absolutely complete as possible, looking to explode and finish every single play, every single time, no matter what. In game mode, when the ball is snapped, I want the guys thinking one thing "Go get that f'ing ball right now." And if it doesn't happen, like a bank collecting interest, the next play we now want it 10% more than we just did, and so on. So things get intense.
One day, I'm in Game Mode and I can see the guys are in Chill Mode... So I'm ready to explode. Things come to a head, because their apathy is ready to make my head shoot off my shoulders and one guy says to me "coach, we're undefeated... We're number 1 in the state... We're working hard... You act like it's never good enough..."
I don't remember my response, word for word, but I told him he was right.
Imagine being strong enough to rep 100 straight push ups, but you stop at 40 because... Well, it's good enough.
Or being able to run 10 miles but you just do 2 because... Well, that's good enough.
Imagine running a company and you just made $15,000,000 but you could've made more, but... That's good enough, no need to improve.
Imagine having the ability and the opportunity to experience greatness, why would you settle for "good enough?"
I was working w a group of guys on a project and we had to measure some things out to get the job some right. We'd tap pieces into place and someone would say "good enough." I cringed. Is it right? When it's right, it's good to go, if it isn't, there's no "good enough."
When you have goals and you have a job to do, you have responsibilities, "good enough," is going to leave you broke or unemployed, underachieving and sitting at home wishing you'd some things differently.
"Good enough," will give you regret.
"Good enough," will leave you with nothing, you'll be worse than a has-been, you'll be a could've-been. I'd rather be a has-been because at least they once had it. Could've-beens a never had it, they just should've had it.
Problem is, too many people are too quick to pass the buck, to lean on someone else when it gets too hard, when times are tough. They want it easy and smooth and when it hits the fan, they want the "good enough," button and get out of there.
Tough day? Shoot, I'm going home and chilling... Good enough.
Didn't lose weight? Forget it, I'm having a treat... Good enough.
Missed a goal? Whatever... Excuses, excuses, excuses... Good enough.
Good enough is a lazy trick your mind wants you to think so you can go home and watch television and not run, not workout, not study, not put in the extra hours.
Without a goal list, you have no plan, no vision. Without a vision, without a passion for success and doing things w greatness, you'll always live w "good enough," on the tip of your tongue and your dreams will never ever come true. You have to work and work and work and work and plan and prepare and work and adjust and learn and go hard. You can't do all that "good enough." Full go, 100% or don't bother.
The other day, I'm training and working a leg circuit from a leg press to hammy curls to calf raise. I wasn't even counting sets, I was just going til things felt like hell. And every round, I had to increase the weight for every move. I'd go through a round and think "well, that round was bullshit, add weight," and so on until I reached my goal, far surpassing "good enough." "Good enough," happened when I was pressing 560,but I needed to fill the rack and go until my legs just shooook. Same thing goes when I'm working w the dumbbells. I refuse to NOT use the entire set of dumbbells, I'll use every single wright available. Why not? I have it in my range, so doing anything less is bullshit.
Would you want to be a fan of a "good enough," team?
Do you want to be in a "good enough," relationship?
Then start placing those same demands on yourself and live up to them.
