I returned to the sky this weekend after a five-month break — ten jumps later, I remembered exactly why I love it!

Lately, I’ve been reading "Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals” by Heidi Grant Halvorson, and I’ll probably be quoting it a lot. It’s packed with powerful strategies for defining what we want and how we pursue it. One idea that really stuck with me is the difference between “Be Good” and “Get Better” goals.

Looking back, most of my growth – personally and professionally – has been driven by Get Better goals. These are the goals that help us focus on learning and progress, rather than comparison or perfection.

Even learning to skydive started this way. In the beginning, the goal isn’t “be the best skydiver” — it’s “get better at saving your life in free fall.” When you're jumping out of a plane for the first time, with only two instructors holding on, you don’t even know what you don’t know.

But somewhere along the way, something shifted.

I started comparing myself to other skydivers, especially those who started around the same time, and I became frustrated, discouraged, even embarrassed. I felt like I should be better, faster, more skilled… even though many of my peers had significantly more training and jumps.

Without realizing it, I had shifted into a Be Good mindset. And it was draining the joy out of something I used to love.

That insight hit me hard — and not just about skydiving. It helped me reframe moments in work and volunteering where feedback stung more than it should have. I wasn’t failing, I was just forgetting to give myself permission to keep growing.

Be Good goals aren’t bad, sometimes they’re necessary. Get the A. Land the job. Meet the milestone.

But when the journey matters as much as the outcome, a Get Better mindset can carry us further. It builds resilience, refocuses our purpose, and helps us reach new heights (pun intended).