Tune in to any sports channel and chances are excellent the phrase “Go big or go home!” will be heard during the course of the broadcast.
The phrase has become synonymous with offering encouragement in the athletic world, that winning requires all involved putting forth every ounce of focus, energy, and attention in order to achieve the desired outcome.
No longer reserved for coaches motivating 300 pound linebackers or lithe point guards with mere seconds on the clock and the championship hanging in the balance, the phrase has been adopted by entrepreneurs, corporate managers, and business coaches alike to fuel many a business endeavor. Go big or go home is often the battle cry for any new project or venture within the walls of corporate America, as well as the local coffee house where start up dreams are hatched.
If we really want to win, we must do whatever it takes goes the thinking.
But not every goal warrants the use of this phrase, or the sentiment behind it. In many instances, going small is the correct approach: building a founding team, training for a triathlon, writing the first sentence of a new book are each endeavors that merit a narrow and precise plan. Each would be wiped out (and often are) under the weight of the other.
Grand ideas and thinking big have their place. But not to the exclusion of other means when the situation warrants.
