Good to Great
I remember when I was in high school, I dreaded going to class every day.
I focused more on my dancing rather than my studies, came up with so-so grades and was an average student. I would have dance practice until six in the afternoon, go home, eat a snack, do my homework, eat dinner, then either finish up my requirements or read a book I had been itching to get back to after a long day at school. I was a normal high school student trying to figure out what they wanted in life while still being in the comforts of my introvertedness and the sheer fact my grades were at least passing. After I graduated from high school, I realized that maybe I could have done better and made more use of my years there. I was sad that I settled to be mediocre. I was mad at myself for settling in general. So at this point, I felt stuck. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing or how exactly I would do it. I was an average girl who just wanted to pass by life, I had everything but the answer to: How do I go from good to great?
Come college, I decided I would start anew and actually give effort to my studies, and in the end, it paid off to see my parents express that they were proud of me. As a student, I was on my way to being better than I was in high school. But more than that, I knew in my heart that I still wasn’t satisfied with myself. At this taste of accomplishment, of being able to do something for myself in academics, I was missing what I could do for myself that really made me happy. I was still stuck in that gray area between good and great. Luckily, I was able to find this in AIESEC.
When I was a new member back in June 2017, I was being active at first because I am someone who naturally likes being busy, but more than that I really did want to make more friends and find “my people,” as I always long for a sense of belonging. At this point, good meant being a part of AIESEC because I wasn’t part of any other organization, but great meant being active, showing up to events, and doing what was expected of me, to deliver quality. I attended almost all events, from departmental meetings, team meetings, an entrepreneurial summit, TERB, LCVP Convocations, and even an ASEAN event that AIESEC was partnered up with at the time. I was able to meet more and more AIESECers each day until I was at least familiar with everyone in the LC, and along the way, I found my love for doing TM work, and ultimately being in AIESEC. One significant memory of mine where I felt accomplished was making a Training Needs Analysis for Outgoing Exchange because the operations are quite different from what I did in TM at the time, not to mention reading the Exchange Product Policies gave me a headache because there were so many. However, after I submitted my deliverable, this is when I realized I really liked what I was doing. I liked learning about other departments and coming up with initiatives and tools that would enable others to be better equipped, and thus, competent to do their job. This was the first time in a long time that I felt like I was actually great, even if it were just a simple deliverable.
Empowered by the work I was doing, it was a pretty easy decision for me to decide to apply as a team leader for the upcoming cycle. I was excited to finally lead a team of my own and plan for operations. At this time, my definition of good was to be able to manage myself, to be great was to be able to manage others. As a member, I was at ease with the fact that my TL would give me work and guide me, I didn’t really question what I was doing, but as long as I delivered quality, I was doing my job. As a TL, it was difficult for me to deal with the pressure that I held my members’ experience in my hands, especially since I was handling a team of newies at the time. I remember I would get mad and frustrated with myself every mistake I made. It was good that I cared but it was bad that I had a hard time moving on from it. However, I realized that with each mistake I made, I learned something new every time. If I have a lot of work, I can delegate it. If I feel burnt out, then I should rest or talk to someone about it. I may not have been very good at managing a team, my definition of great at the time, but I was slowly getting better each day and I wasn’t alone.
Empowered by the work I was doing, it was a pretty easy decision for me to decide to apply as a team leader for the upcoming cycle. I was excited to finally lead a team of my own and plan for operations. At this time, my definition of good was to be able to manage myself, to be great was to be able to manage others.
I bring you last to when I chose to ran for LCVP. I was scared to apply before because I did not know how it would be like or if I was who the LC needed. At times I would be a 100% yes let’s go and send that LOI, and other times I was out of my mind afraid and wanted to curl up in a ball and hug my pillow. I was scared, I was confused, but in the end, I knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to run because I knew in my heart, I would regret it for my entire life. I had and still have something to share with this organization I now call my home. I wanted to apply to become LCVP because I wanted to help people get a good experience and see others develop to not only walk with me, but walk ahead of me. The next thing I knew I sent my LOI and here I am today, taking on this new change in my life day-by-day with my EB. As a member of the EB, my definition of good is that I applied and I have the position, and right now I am working towards being great, which is actually doing something with the responsibility I have now, I have to take care of our LC.
From these experiences, it was desire, effort, and passion that helped me and continue to help me in becoming better, to continuously improve as my definitions of good and great change in every stage of my life, or in this case, my AIESEC journey. We can read motivational quotes all day, try to be someone we are not, want things we do not have, or try to find someone or something to rekindle that flame inside of us, but these things will not get us anywhere. You have to want to be great. You need to work for it. You need to be passionate about what you do if you truly want to feel that so-called feeling of greatness.
Because if I were to illustrate to you my general definitions of good and great, good is that living, breathable bubble where you feel comfortable and at ease. While, great is that excited breath you take when you are about to do something you may have never done before. It’s not only being a part of something, but it’s actually doing something. It’s not just doing it for yourself, but doing it for others. Sometimes it can be hard to do the first, to be good, and sometimes it’s daunting to try go for the second, to be great. But I have come to realize that the line between good and great is just that leap of faith. It’s no doubt scary, but imagine it as that rush you feel when you rise so high on a swing, or when the wind rushes past your face when you ride on a roller coaster, you would never have experienced that rush, that adrenaline, if you hadn’t taken that leap of faith.
It’s not only being a part of something, but it’s actually doing something. It’s not just doing it for yourself, but doing it for others.
Good to great is not necessarily going from a good moment to a great one but it is digging deep into ourselves to transcend who we are as people, to do more, and be more. It’s like finding the joy in every situation, or making the moment right and not waiting for the “right” moment — because we do not need to search for great, there is already greatness inside each and every one of us. All of our passions, our ambitions, our dreams, our deepest darkest secrets, they are all inside of us, just waiting to be unleashed.
So what’s stopping you?
