From Great to Good (Part 1)
This summer I joined a pickleball tournament with a collegiate athlete as my partner. Out of 10 teams, we placed…7th. We lost two games in a row only to beat my wife and her BFF in the consolation round! Just to clarify, it wasn’t Joe’s fault. He is at the pinnacle of his athleticism. It was the 41-year-old with sloth-like reflexes that seemed to hold us back. I am an average (or below average) pickleball player, and I am learning to be okay with that.
In my mind, I need to be great at everything. Jim Collin’s best-selling book, Good to Great, hit its popularity and influence in my formative years, and I wanted to hop aboard the train: A great husband, a great dad, a great pastor, a great friend, a great swimmer, a great leader, a great mountain biker; great at grilling, great at public speaking, and on and on it goes. This was not a desire for greatness on a large scale but a large-fish-in-a-small-pound kind of greatness.
Not only do I personally struggle with the desire for greatness, but society also screams that we and our kids need to be great (insert social media). From grass-fed, organic meals to fully-funded 529 accounts to elite travel sports teams to elaborate vacations to straight A’s, many of us feel the pressure for greatness in every aspect of our lives and the lives of those we love.
The 10,000 Hour Rule
Malcolm Gladwell asserts that the key to greatness is the “10,000 rule” – you become great at something once you have practiced it for a long time. Phenoms like Steph Curry, Bill Gates, Katie Ledecky, among others aren’t just “naturals”; they put in a lot of hard work. Because they hit their 10,000 hours quicker, they soared to the front of the pack. The road to greatness isn’t quick and easy. It comes with great cost.
So how long does it take to get to 10,000 hours? Well, that depends on how much time you’ve got! If you practice for 20 hours per week, it will take you 10 years to get “great” (That’s a lot of pickleball!).
It’s Simply Impossible to be Great at Everything
Here’s one key aspect of life that I often fail to remember: I am finite. Whether I like it or not, there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. I am bound by limits. It is simply impossible for me to be great at everything. I don’t have the time nor ability to get in the reps for expansive greatness. It’s a myth that I can be a great husband and a great dad and a great worker and a great [fill in the blank].
In my current role as a pastor, I leave the office every day with more tasks on my to-do lists, more care visits to make, and more ideas, dreams, and ministry initiatives to manage. I wrestle with myself every week to take a full day off. I think I could be an amazing pastor if I logged 70hrs this week and every week. I know if I worked a ton of overtime, I would be better. But I would be a lousy husband, dad, and friend. Eventually, I would be stressed to the max, and my physical and mental health would — no doubt — suffer. And, to be honest, none of that really sounds like a great pastor!
If greatness is achieved by putting in the hours, and I am a finite person bound by time, I have to decide what aspects of life I want to pursue.
Decent at Most Things…Great at Some Things
Jesus is my hero and the master of my life, and he has a whole lot to say about this. One of his phrases keeps popping into my mind:
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
[Mark 8:36]
I like the idea of profit and gain! But what about forfeit? Everything about forfeit seems wrong; doesn’t it? To just give up—whether it’s a sporting event, our personal rights, or our possessions—seems backwards. Jesus is saying that we could gain so many things (or be great at so many things) and — at the same time — lose. Not just lose, but forfeit our very souls! The pursuit of greatness may come at a very high cost.
When we pursue greatness in one area, we inevitably choose to give up on another area—we give up time, relationships, resources, etc. Jesus is calling the listener to consider the cost. We could climb the ladder of success only to get to the top and realize that the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.
Jesus knows about greatness. He knows our limitations. And he certainly knows our deep-seated brokenness. It is possible to be great at the wrong things and forfeit the most important things. So, you have to decide what you are going to devote your time and effort to pursuing.
How do I decide what areas of my life I should give the bulk of my time and attention? Great question. I’m glad you asked! In “Great to Good (Part 2)” I want to explore the allure of greatness as well as walk you through my top priorities in life.
To be continued…