Taking Down the Enemy

The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)

By Jessica Hagy, Contributor, Forbes Magazine
(It's a good, quick read)

After reading the above article by Jessica Hagy, I got to thinking about what all the "enemies of greatness" have in common; they're all about settling.

Settling for what you can get, settling in your rut, settling for the bare minimum. 

Since it is Leap Day (Feb. 29th), take a leap into what is preventing you from greatness, or more bluntly, why have you settled?

In the boat, rowers only "settle" after periods of intense work, after pieces of high rate and power. A Settle isn't even a break, it's just a call to calm down the intensity, a time to catch your breath before another set. And as a coxswain, I get to convince them that not only are they not going to die, but they can do better. 

What's funny is, rowers willing take on this intensity. After a crazy hard, fast, leg-killing workout, they recognize their accomplishment; and although tomorrow might be even harder, they know they are getting faster and more competitive with each stroke. 

How is it so hard to apply this mindset in our lives? 

Don't ever lower your standards. Because the moment you do, you'll be disappointed by what you get.

Yes, work and family are not as adrenaline-pumping as gliding across the water and racing.  But, even metaphorically, "settle" has negative connotations.

When do when know when we should stop dreaming? When is what we have good enough? Not in the sense of "stuff", but in the sense of our lives.

Sure, you can have a lot of stuff and a lot of money. But we all know that is not what makes happiness, or ambition. Even the wealthiest don't say, "This is as good as I'm ever going to get."And if your only ambition is to be really rich, then good luck on ever getting there. 

I like to think that there is always something to work toward, something to drive us and make us excited to wake up every morning. 

Why do you think the post-workout feeling is so unbelievable? You feel great, blood's pumping, sweating. You know full well you won't ever get that feeling again unless you do another workout, unless you put in the work.

After awhile, your body adjusts to a workout routine, and in order to get the same feeling, you have to switch things up and work even harder. 

When we settle, we either lose that great post-workout feeling, or when we try to go after it again, it's too hard and we feel defeated. Insert metaphor here.


Don't settle for mediocrity. We are a work in progress, every day. And, every day is another reason to be better, to be more awesome.

A Little Twitch

There's always time to think about what we really want. But, how often does that find its way to what we do.

I definitely didn't wake up one morning and say, "Damn, a half marathon sounds good." I signed up for a gym membership one January. It felt good, like I was doing something good for my life that would get me out of the rut I was in. Then took a group exercise class. A group of SMS alums wanted to have a tent for a local 10K event, so I signed up for the 10K. I ran, and decided that I could do another, and that I actually like can stand running. Then, a Warrior Dash, a Tough Mudder, and now a half marathon scheduled for April. After that, who knows?

You never know where little things can take you. Just one little proactive oomph, and it turns into a goal. So if you don't have any big grandiose plans, it's okay. Your imagination and dreams aren't broken. They just need a bit of jump start. 

I call it my Little Twitch: when you read about something really cool, and you think, "I could totally do that." It's a charge that hangs out in your thoughts. You start researching, planning. You get excited, and after weighing your life, you commit. It's not a fair-weather thing. 

You see people with Bucket Lists who are too busy with life to actually pursue life. Despite how crazy life can be, never stop looking for those tingles. 


So, get out your Buckets, Annie. Because it's time to try something, one thing, anything…just don't settle...