Good to great: Go big and go home

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

“Go big or go home” is woven throughout the fabric of everyday U.S. business. We’re trained and incentivized to go harder, better, faster, stronger than we did yesterday — and all of our competitors.

Many of us still see the world in terms of winners and losers. It’s survival of the fittest versus shared inspiration and greater good. We learn we need to hide, run or fight to survive and/or thrive and should only count on ourselves.

I love our drive. And clearly bigger is not inherently better. Big for big’s sake is disconnected, energetically taxing and unwieldy.

The solution to the “must go bigger” achievement treadmill and/or up-and-down power trip cycle is simple if not always easy: Go home. Go deep. It’s coming home to what we truly value and the nature of our impact on others and the world. While more rest and self-care can be part of the path and our personal definition of success may need serious redefining, the best solution is rarely “going smaller.”

You’ve come too far for that.

Can you clearly verbalize what matters most to you? Are your priorities and time aligned with it? Are you pushing yourself or in not-fully-satisfying work hard, play hard mode? Are you checked out, a “quiet quitter?” Are you doing well yet not so sure you’re doing much good, beyond supporting your family?

At the end of the day, no company or job has the power to engage you if you’re not engaged with yourself. Your achievements can bring fleeting happiness and leave you feeling drained or empty. Some high performers might feel proud and pleased yet ambivalent about their choices when they have more time to reflect.

The invitation is integration. Go big AND go home. Do work that’s high impact and personally meaningful.

Whether you’re a do good nonprofit manager, reach-for-the-stars creative or quietly quitting success story in tech, compromising either sells you and your world short.

I’d love to give you a quick fix. “Create a Venn diagram with the two polarities…” The truth is creating a big, welcoming home looks different for everyone, from goals, strategy and vision to shifts in sense of self, others, reality and felt experience.

That’s what makes it so fun and rewarding.

No quick tips this week, but if you’re on the path of going big and going home, good for you. Happy building :)

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