I Don't Do "Pretty Good"

I recently went to the doctor and was told my blood sugars were "pretty good" for a diabetic.  This was supposed to be good news.  I, however, have a personality flaw that prevents me from relishing in doing "pretty good".  Pretty good is not quite good.  It is almost good, and it is better than okay and far better than poor, but it is not great.  Not the best that I can do.

As I drove away from the doctor's office I thought to myself "just wait until my next blood test, I will knock it out of the park!"  And then I thought, what is it that makes people the way they are?  Why can't I just settle for being pretty good.

I went to a one hour training class for HIPAA yesterday at work.  HIPAA is the privacy and security policy regarding all of our medical records.  I went to class planning on sleeping through it until I heard the word "test".  Test?  There is a test?  Yes, Emily, there is a test, but it is not that hard and you only have to make an 85% on it.  Oh really?  Okay, now I am super-gunner-employee taking notes and thinking of the prize at the end...wait...what was the prize?  You take the 25 question test and no one knows what your score is but you and the computer.  But it doesn't matter to me.  Not only do I have to be the first one out the door but I have to make a 100%.  This is absurd.  I didn't even want to take this stupid class and now I am sitting on the edge of my seat taking notes?

I am like this with lots of things, like baby showers, for example.  It would be perfectly acceptable to go to a registry for a new mom and purchase something that she really needs and wants off of her registry and show up to a baby shower with it wrapped by the store from which it came.  After all, that is a "pretty good" gift.  It is even a great gift because it is what she ASKED for, for Pete's sake!  But no.  I have to custom make something that shows that I have more knowledge about what a new mom needs or wants or "will want" after she sees what I made.  Really?  She needs custom monogrammed burp cloths more than she needs bottles or a bathtub?  I think not!

In the last 4 years at my job I have taken our medical school from next to the last in the country on a National Board Exam to number 1 in the country.  This year we will probably be in the top 3.  I had my performance review yesterday (same day as HIPAA training) and my boss told me that being in the top 3 was still "pretty good". 

On Monday I went for a little 5 mile run on the river after work and before faculty/staff softball practice.  I have a software app called runmeter.  She tells you how fast you are running, what your split times are, your average pace and how well you are doing compared to all the other times you have run this same route.  It was 88 degrees outside with about 90% humidity.  When I finished she told me that my pace was average for that route.

That's pretty good, I guess...