I asked them to “raise their right hand as high as they could” and they all raised their hand.  Then I said, “now raise them higher” and they all reached higher.  i immediately asked how that was possible.  If you did, in fact, raise your right hand as high as you could the first time, it would be impossible to raise it even higher.  I explained how that was a significant representation of how their best effort in practices and games was, perhaps, not their best effort at all.

Sometimes being “good” isn’t aiming high enough.  Erwin McManus, the pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, said, “We spend so much time worrying about our kids being good….not breaking the rules, getting into trouble, and basically behaving….that we often forget to invite them to be great.  In the exercise described above, the kids were willing to settle for good.  They didn’t truly reach for as high says they could go.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to help your students see when they are raising their personal expectations only to “good,” when they are capable of aspiring to be “great.”  I once read that true leadership is “an invitation to greatness that we extend to others.”  Consider the insights of Pastor McManus and expect and help your students to be good….and then invite them to be great.

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

Culture Strategist/Mentor

II:Leaders Creating:II Leaders

LCL Mentors @ Marching Arts Education