You don’t have to be great to do great things.

A massive misconception exists in our world today that you have to already be great in order to accomplish great things. I have good news for you, this, simply, is not true.

Many people want to be great. They want to get great recognition, great wealth, a great mate, a great job, a great house, great kids, a great vacation and a great paycheck. There is a yearning deep within every man and woman on the planet for greatness. Something stirs within each person when they hear stories of those who did or accomplished great things–they yearn for more.

Greatness is truly defined not by when you arrive, but when you depart. Greatness is wrongly viewed as the celebrity getting off the plane to a crowd of admirers and paparazzi. True greatness is leaving your comfort to reach and touch those in discomfort. Comfort is not an indicator of greatness. 

But, do you really need recognition from others to live in greatness? Do you really need a plaque, a monument or memoirs to live as a great? Do you need to have lived centuries in the past to be considered great? 

No. You can start being great today. Yes, like right after you are done reading this or sharing it or whatever you will do.

How? 

Greatness is the quality of being above normal, above average; achieving excellence. 

You don’t ever have to be recognized to live in greatness. Why?

So, just start getting above what is normal for you. If it is normal not to help others, start helping others. If it is normal to not think about others, start thinking about others. If it is normal to be highly self-centered, get over yourself.

See, living in greatness is about seeing value in others.

Why?

Because you have value. Every person has tremendous value. This value gives you worth. Most people don’t realize they are inherently valuable. When you solve your own self-worth question, you can begin helping others solve theirs.

Greatness is not a measurement; it is a way of living. Don’t live life like you are on top of the mountain and everyone else is below you, but a few others you admire are up there with you. This is arrogance. You want to be great, then treat others like they are on top of the mountain and you are just here to serve them. You want to be great, spend your life encouraging, up-lifting, praising and blessing others–even if they don’t, especially if they don’t deserve it. Jesus said, “…But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26). The word “great” in Greek is the word ‘megas’ and it’s where we get our word mega–like megaton, megabyte, megalomanic, megahertz and megawatt. Mega means exceedingly superior in all ways like in weight or scale. Be mega in actions towards others, but not mega in your thoughts toward yourself–this makes you a megalomaniac!

Greatness is not how you see yourself; it is how you see others. Really, it’s where you see yourself and where you see others. You start viewing others as more important and more in need of priority. When you begin to give priority and preference to others, you are doing a great thing. This principal follows the golden rule of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The golden rule is really not that hard, unless, you are full of yourself, arrogant, self-indulgent and full of pride. Then, you see greatness as being served, and not serving. Jesus, the King of kings, said, “even the Son of Man (Me) came to serve and not to be served” (Mark 10:45).

Greatness is not what you get recognized for, but how you recognize others. What’s really fun in life is when you are free to recognize the little things that others do. I mean, why is it so hard to thank the server at the restaurant? Why it so hard to repay ugliness with kindness? Why is it so hard to give people a second chance? Why is it so hard to give others all the credit? Because, we want the recognition. We want to be viewed by others as significant. The way to

Greatness is not what you get, but about what you give. If we really look behind the masks and false-fronts of the lives of our rich and famous, then what we will see is greed–pure unadulterated greed. The unquenchable thirst for more and more. The paradigm for truly great people is discovered through their incredible generosity. It is so much more fulfilling in life, when you feel incredible freedom when you give things away. It means your heart is not held captive by your craving for more. Maybe, you don’t have a lot of money to give. I’m simply saying, start being generous with what you have: your words, your time, your hobbies, your prayers and then examine your resources. Here’s a really crazy idea: be crazy generous with your kindness. 

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

-Amelia Earhart

The world is a harsh place. So many people working to be known as great and to know someone great. If they can’t know them, then they start working to know all about them as if the association will somehow rub off on them and make them kind of great. This is silly. Start bringing great kindness, great compassion, a great yearning to understand, great devotion and great recognition of others. 

Want to be great?

Don’t even consider it an option and just work at getting really good at making people feel really good about themselves. At the end of your life—it will have been a great one! 

(c) 2016, Redwall Leadership Academy.