Guest Post: An Inspirational Perspective on amplifying American aspirations

We are welcoming guest post submissions on the topic of The One Thing, large or small, you are doing to support your community and your country.  Contact us for submission guidelines.
—
Guest post by Tyson Steffens of American-made & grown Revolution Bio Lubricants:

I've been thinking a lot about the idea that good is the enemy of great.  I think we as Americans, in general, lead such good lives that we've lost our drive and desire for the great.  It permeates everything: our goals, our relationships, our work.  I realize I've settled in this way multiple times in my life.  A few of these, I see with the aid of hindsight, were pivotal.

Of course, along with this realization (which you have too, since you're reading along!) comes the pressure and responsibility of not repeating the mistake, not settling for good at times when we are capable of great.  We need to make this change as individuals, one mind, one heart at a time.  This country was built on the backs of seemingly common people that made extraordinary achievements, large and small, all knit together, a star here, a stripe there, into a fabric of principle, resolve, and vision that could not and has not been duplicated, replicated, or copied in over 200 years.

So, let's get back to the basics.  Let's act with principle, resolve and vision.  Take one thing in your life today and do it great instead of just good.  Tomorrow do two, then three.  It will become habit.  All those individual instances of greatness, woven into our common American fabric, will begin to amplify one another.  If you are a design engineer, don't do a good design job and limit the assembly team to building a good unit.  Do a great job so they have potential to build a great unit.  If you're the assembler, focus, stamp each unit with self-respect and the knowledge that each unit is the very best it could be on this day at this time.  Don't pick good products for your family, think long term and pick great products that showcase value, and explain to your kids why that choice matters.  When you see someone reaching for an okay product, don't just be a good citizen and help them reach it, be a great citizen and tell them about the American product that is a couple bucks more, but well worth it.

I still fail at this multiple times a day, but I'm trying, and I'm getting better, everyday.  I wrote this passage instead of simply complaining about it to my neighbor.  Instead of just buying a US made product, I started distributing them so that people have another choice.  I'll find other ways to be greater than I was, and I know you will too.  It's never too late to be who we could have been.  Believe that.

—