by Karolyn Hart
Deep within the heart of leaders is the desire to accomplish something great with their lives. To truly stand out and be counted among those who have left an impact. Too often people dream of greatness but fail to understand what sort of misery they are wishing upon themselves.
A quick study of some of my own modern day heroes reveals that more often their not their greatness was born out of extreme circumstances and misery. Consider Nelson Mandela’s 27 years spent in prison as a prime example. When we go to the movies and watch the story play out on the big screen we are caught up in the romance of the adventure and leave inspired. Yet, have you ever thought about putting yourself in the person’s shoes? It’s easy to enjoy the adventure when you know how the story ends. But what if you are in your own personal version of a prison? Chances are you don’t know the end of the story and getting up every morning can seem a daunting task.
What you may not realize is that your greatness is being thrust upon you in those moments. Greatness is not an overnight thing that can be whittled down into a 90 minute movie. It is a lifelong journey. Doing truly great things is often a commitment to endurance, perseverance, and down right tenacity.
It means continuing when you would rather throw in the towel. It means not taking shortcuts when you are pressed for time. It means standing strong when you are the lone voice in a desert. It means humbling yourself to learn from those who have more experience than you. It means being in a perpetual state of learning and understanding that you will “never arrive”.
The fact is that if you are in the middle of the “fight of your life” then you are quite possibly in the perfect arena to head towards greatness. Where else are you going to get your muscle?
The only difference between those who are great and those who are not is that great people persevere where others quit. Today, choose to be great and discover how powerful you really are.
Cracked Glass 