Good Begets Better!

Something occurred to me recently as I was listening to the radio. It occurred to me that the longer a group of people stay with each other, the better they get...after they achieve some success, the become even more successful. While that may seem like an obvious statement, here is what I have deduced from that observation.

The two areas that are the most obvious are sports and music, so lets use those two examples. When the athletes or musicians are starting out, there is a rough, raw energy to them. It's the break out phase of their success. The one where perservance and gratitude play a very large role. Once the first wave of success hits, more resources are available to spend more time focusing on the craft of their choice. With more time and resources, their "good" performance can be molded into a "better" performace. The more time you spend on a given trade or skill...the more likely you are to succeed. The more you are able to succeed, the more experience you will have to be able to draw from and the more likely you will be able to experiment and grow as an athlete or artist.
Imagine if the Beatles were not successful on their first two or three records...how much more music would they have created and how creative would they have been? Obviously, that is an impossible question to answer, but I think there is a case for stating that they probably would not have gone on to be the mega stars that they were if they started out with a couple of albums that bombed. Given their early success, they had access to better recording studios, better equipment and more connections to collaborate with. Their fanbase also wanted more and more of them which allowed them to be more creative in their musical approach.
The principle of "Good begets better" can also be linked to sports teams. Have you noticed how there is usually some sort of Super Bowl hangover for the teams that lose the Super Bowl? This is not always the case, but by and large, a loss in the Super Bowl can have devastating effects on the following years team. History proves it over and over. Teams, as well as, individuals have to take a deep look at themselves and work seemingly twice as hard to get to the same level. It seems to be a matter of motivation as much as anything else.

Needless to say, the best way to get better is to get "good." Then work off of that success and keep working to get to the next level. The bottom line is that perseverance and gratitude are a great first step. Good begets better!

Rock on!

Rob