Your Good is Good Enough
Karch Kiraly is one of my heroes. He's a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, a winner of at least one tournament in 24 of the 28 seasons he has played, a medalist in tournaments held in 24 different states with 13 different partners, and one of THE reasons that beach volleyball has risen so quickly within the US and worldwide, for men and for women.
As if that's not enough, he's that star coach who has flawless technique, is strategic and mentally tough, and creates a culture that's positive, energetic and supportive, not an easy task when you're working with top athletes! He stood out again to me this Olympic season when China took the opening set against the American women's team, in large part because of six American service errors in a game to 25.
Most coaches would have been pulling their hair out in frustration. But Karch said, "Your good is good enough". It gave me goose bumps. It helped the team turn it around, winning the remaining three games 25-17, 25-19, 25-19.
It said to me that if you get out of your own way, your own head, you are better than you thought possible, and greatness is within your reach but only if you don't over-reach.
Think 'your-good-is-good-enough' when:
you're waiting for someone to call you a Great Pretender;
when you're tweaking at something so long and hard you forget why;
you settle for less than you're worth;
you don't know what to do when opportunity knocks;
you're challenged beyond your comfort zone;
your little voice tells you you're not big, smart, strong, good, right enough;
you're waiting for the right time, moment, place, scenario to play at the next level;
you think that someone else might be a better person for that raise, promotion, opportunity, project, etc.,
you replay your failures over and over again; and
you wish that something didn't happen exactly that way.
Thank you Coach Karch, for helping me embrace what's good enough in me.