March 27, 2023

Below is a lesson from Axios on excellence over success, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Finish Line: Excellence over success on the field

by Jim VandeHei

Brad McCarty — head coach of the men's soccer team at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pa. — is one of the winningest and dogmatically philosophical coaches in soccer.

• One of the things this Division 3 coach preaches to his players is choosing excellence over success as the end goal.

Why it matters: After sitting through his recruitment pitch to my son Kelvin, the coach's case for excellence over success stuck with me because it's something we can actually control.

Continue Reading Here.

Key Learnings:

• There are many things that can attribute to failure -- some of which may not be in your control. But if you focus on excellence in your craft, and you approximated it, then you will likely win long-term.
• Why excellence applies more broadly to your work:
  • Excellence is healthier. If being seen as a success is your motivator, you're less like to: focus on the how and why, do the right thing for the right reasons.
  • Excellence is more real. Mediocrity and luck can still find you success...until it no longer does.
  • Excellence is achievable. We can control whether we push ourselves harder each day, whether we can sharpen our craft, character, or performance. You become your own measurement, not someone else's definition of success.
  • Excellence produces better results. Success is fleeting -- excellence lasts and builds on its momentum.