GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF GREAT!

Woooooh! That is a strong statement. I first visited this GREAT idea when I read Jim Collins’s best-selling business book “GOOD TO GREAT” It is the title of his first chapter and the first sentence in his book, which has sold 4 million copies to date. This qualifies as a meaningful idea.

I know you are a Good Grandparent if you have read this deeply into my writing. If you have followed this blog for any time, you know that I take the role of Grandpa very seriously and have for over 33 years since my Zak came upon this earth. Since then, there have been 7 more and 5 Great Grandkids in my care. My goal is to remain focused on my status as a Good Grandparent. That is what my article title is all about.

Before I scare you off by giving you the impression that this is an impossible task, let me explain why I have chosen this title for the book I am writing.

If you have one new Grandbaby or, like me, a baseball team with a few spares, you will be treated to new ways of looking at this whole Grandparenting thing. In most cases, you will be affirmed and encouraged by “Like Minded Folks,” some of which have traveled roads you are just beginning.

A thought came to me the other day for a really good sub-title for my book. (No How To’s, just ideas). Since we are dealt a hand of various ages, personalities, life experiences, etc. I aim to share meaningful life stories of other Grandparents on the same Superhighway as you.

I have always tried to learn to do things better. When my children were small, I read “I’m Okay – You’re Okay,” a 1967 self-help book by psychiatrist Thomas Anthony Harris. This book has sold 15 million copies to date. This was when I was trying to improve my parenting skills. Here is some good news, my children still Love and talk to me some half-century later!

My point is that no matter where you are on this all-important journey to being the best Grandparent you can be, there are things we can learn from other Grandparents, and as you will see, we can learn a lot from our kids and grandchildren as well.

Please stay tuned. My project of writing this book will play out in these articles before I commit them to the manuscript. I plan to put out a call for you all to share your stories which will add tremendous value to all of us in this Good to Great community.

Thanks for being a Caring Grandparent.