Quote-A-Day: Day 167

The key difference between "good" and "great" is a desire to keep getting better, whatever the cost . #QuoteADay #Day167 #edchat #edu

There is a big difference between being “good” at something, and being “great” at it.  But, the difference isn’t necessarily in a skill set, or even an aptitude.

Rather, the difference is in desire, and a desire to keep improving, no matter what.

Those leaders and learners, who are truly great, recognize that the only way to reach greatness isn’t to achieve a goal or hit a benchmark, but rather, to understand that one’s work is never done, and to be as successful as possible, we must always keep getting better.

There are a few ways to make sure that we always keep our eyes on greatness and constant improvement.  

Here are two:

1.        Never take an answer as the final word.  Learning never stops, and therefore even if we feel we have solved a problem or answered a question, we need to consider what other questions (or problems) might arise from what we have learned.

2.       Explore ideas as soon as they arise.  We know there is never enough time.  So, when a new idea raises its head, we should really consider it, as the time may not come again.  This allows us to keep learning, and never get stymied by old topics that never seem to go away.

Getting better is a process that is never fully realized.  We keep working towards the goal, but it should never be a goal we expect to reach.  That in itself is comforting, as we can understand that “greatness” is aspirational, and not expected.