The Greatness Project

Room to Zoom

September 15, 2005

Melissa doesn’t count repetitions. Quietly, she watches her clients work out and determines how many more repetitions can be done. Just when clients believe they are at their last repetition, she asks them to do more and, almost miraculously, they can. Melissa is a personal trainer who believes that most of us create low expectations of our abilities. Her job is to help others exceed their expectations. She does that and with her encouragement, people often exceed even her high expectations.

Most research indicates that setting goals is a key part of achieving greatness. This is essentially correct. However, we have found that there’s a tendency for many of us to unconsciously set relatively attainable goals; not really stretching ourselves. Whether this is from either a conscious effort to ensure success, or a fear of failure, our short-sightedness ultimately limits our ability to attain new levels of performance. Short-sightedness limits our ability to develop ourselves in a life-changing way. Essentially, we sell ourselves short. We are capable of more.

Why do some individuals see the stars when the rest of us see a ceiling? Some people continue to set high goals thanks to the profound belief and guidance of someone else, or an innate ability to set aside the desire to remain safe. They willingly, or with guidance, seek a challenge that seems too great to attain.

Melissa is a perfect example of someone who, though training and instinct, knows that people can be pushed further. They can do more than they realize. Some of us need these people in our lives. Whether parents, teachers, coaches, friends or mentors, these individuals see possibilities for us that we cannot. They challenge us to focus on the stars. Their vision allows us to move beyond mediocrity and into the realm of personal greatness.

There are some individuals who, without guidance, will challenge themselves to do more, even when it appears they have already attained greatness. Steve Jobs, the original founder of Apple, was CEO of one of the most successful enterprises in the country, voted out of office by the board, and then brought back in as CEO. Amazingly, Jobs showed no fear as he led Apple back into the forefront of technology through music. We might think that he has earned the right to relax, yet last year he told a group of Apple executives, “Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing we can do. We have to get bolder.”

Many of are afraid to set our goals too high because we worry about frustrating ourselves in our attempts to reach the unreachable. And yet, our lower goals will eventually frustrate us because we know we can do more. Balance comes from setting high goals while enjoying our attempts to attain them. We can find comfort in realizing that our grand attempt will help us to achieve significant goals.

Whether through coaching or innate drive striving for greatness demands that we constantly set goals that challenge. Safety gained through inertia gradually erects a ceiling that may indeed provide security, but will prevent us from moving further. Only when we create room to zoom, can we hope to fulfill personal greatness.

What do you think? Contact us by clicking here.