I share the story of the moon landing and my own Iron Phi journey because they share some common ground. Both set audacious goals, both required drive, and both celebrated small successes in pursuit of a larger purpose. Both required a desire to chase success and embrace failure. Chasing success is far easier than embracing failure. Moving towards the finish line is inspirational. People flock to success. They want to be a part of winning. But everyone knows that few dreams come without setbacks. Failure, when embraced, can often catapult you to the finish line. These aren\u2019t setbacks, instead, they are opportunities to get better and become better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will you embrace failure? As a leader, making mistakes can be the greatest opportunity to improve performance and learn what not to do. Many launches never left the pad and some crashed upon landing, but NASA never gave up. They used that experience to get better. They used that experience to build a stronger program. They committed to success and embraced failure to ensure they achieved the dream. For me, I learned what fuel worked and what didn\u2019t for my body to sustain 26.2 miles of running. There were days where the fuel didn\u2019t work. I would be tired and felt like I couldn\u2019t make it. Those days were tough, but they were the days of which I am most proud. My recognition of what didn\u2019t work led me to what did. Ultimately, that was a key part of me realizing my goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The very same formula that led NASA to put Neil Armstrong on the moon and led me to run 26.2 miles can help you become \u201cthe greatest version of yourself.\u201d Think about your inspirational leaders and whether they are helping you chase success and embrace failure. If they aren’t, ask them to help. Are you, as a leader, inspiring others to chase success and embrace their failure? When you create a roadmap do you allow enough opportunity to measure your incremental success? If you hit a setback, how do you move forward? Is it a springboard for better performance in the next phase or an anchor that holds you back? Finally, when you reach your goals do you take the time to appreciate the journey, the view, and the team that helped you get there? Neil Armstrong stopped to take in the incredible view of Earth from the Moon, and so should you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all have opportunities to become better and make a difference for ourselves, families, friends, brothers, and communities. Phi Delta Theta talks about becoming the greatest version of yourself. This isn\u2019t to say that you aren\u2019t already great in your own way. Instead, it is the idea that we all have the opportunity to continuously improve ourselves and reach our goals. Becoming the greatest version of ourselves isn\u2019t the destination; it\u2019s the journey. Chase success, build a roadmap, celebrate your achievements, embrace failure, and take your own small steps to your moon landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike serves as the director for continuous improvement at Sonoma State University. Working out of the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Mike is responsible for managing academic space on campus as well as evaluating campus business processes to develop more efficient and sustainable practices. Mike earned both his master\u2019s in business administration and bachelor of arts in economics at Sonoma State University where he was a Founding Father of the California Sigma Chapter. As a volunteer for Phi Delta Theta, Mike has been a CAB chair for California Sigma and for the past five years has been the Province President for Omicron Northwest. In his spare time, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife, Kimi, and their two children, daughter, Carina, and son, Braden.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mike Ogg On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced his dream to send a man to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,222,54,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-goal-setting","category-greatest-version-of-yourself","category-phi-delt-volunteers","category-philanthropy-service-als"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n