IT'S PROBABLY NOT WHAT YOU THINK.
It's not uncommon for us to have fantasies about being great.
Many people are striving to achieve what they believe constitutes a great life. Status, money, fame, accolades.
The constant race to the top is never-ending because of the human drive to be significant.
But what does greatness mean to you?
Some of the greatest people I've ever met are not people you would ever hear about.
They are everyday men and women who lead humble, quiet lives.
And yet, whenever I think about them, I would describe them as embodying greatness.
So what is greatness?
Sophia is a small-statured woman in her 40's who spends her days volunteering at summer camps, humanitarian work, and supporting her husband's pastoral ministry.
She isn't rich, famous, nor building a business. And her Instagram profile is set to private.
But she has the incredible gift of hospitality. Her home is constantly filled with guests and friends, both old and new. You don't need to know her for more than an hour before receiving an invitation to another one of her house parties.
She makes you feel loved, cared for, and important.
If you asked every person who knows her, all of them would tell you that Sophia is well-respected and held in high regard by everyone.
She embodies greatness.
Jeremy is a soft-spoken mechanic in his 30's. Day in and day out, he works at his blue-collar job. On the weekends, he shows up at house parties with one of his delicious recipes.
He's an amazing cook, is passionate about food, and loves talking about a hole-in-the-wall diner he recently discovered.
His also has the amazing ability to empathize with you and offer eye-opening wisdom. There have been many times when I have been positively impacted by his advice.
He has such a warm and joyful presence that lights up the room, and many others have agreed that their lives have been made better because of him.
I would say he embodies greatness too.
What do Sophia and Jeremy have in common?
Regardless of their professions, status, and wealth, they are living fully into their giftings and what they are designed to do, and making many lives better because of it.
To me, that's greatness.
Understand this: true greatness cannot be a single external measure determined by society.
For the same reason why the public school system and standardized tests cannot be the best measure of a successful student. School measures one path of success when there are many paths.
To be truly great is to become the best version of yourself, which is necessarily uniquely individual. The thing is that your best self can't help but impact the people around you for the better.
So remember what true greatness is:
Living fully into your gifts, calling, and what you are designed to be and do, and thereby making lives better because of your presence.
What I've Learned This Week
1. Identity shapes the quality of your relationships
If you believe someone is a good person who cares about you, you will give them the benefit of doubt even if they treat you badly.
But if you believe they don't care about you, it doesn't matter how nice they treat you. You will doubt their intentions.
The same thing applies to your belief about yourself. You can be succeeding in life, but if you belief you're a failure, none of that can convince you otherwise.
2. Your energy determines your results
If you go to work feeling defeated, you can't expect to win at anything that day.
For positive output, you need positive input. You need to change the quality of your energy.
Here's a great example:
Research has shown that positive emotions increase creativity. Something as simple as eating chocolate before solving a problem improved creative strategic thinking from the small dopamine hit.
Change your energy = change your thinking = change your life
3. Contentment is mastery over desire
People are slaves to their desires for more success, more money, more followers.
If we are slaves to them, we pursue them for the wrong reasons. And we have no sense of identity beyond them.
If you can master them, you can thrive without them.
If you can thrive without them, you will not be destroyed by failure nor carried away by success.
Aim higher. Live better.
Stay purposeful.
– Nathanael
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