There was an informal question being posed at work a couple weeks ago.
“Why do you think we desire to be great?”
I had to pause a moment. I thought maybe it was a trick question. Perhaps I’ll sound arrogant if I admit that I want to be great. Maybe I should say that I don’t care about being great, but that I just want to be a good person. I mean, I’ve just been getting to know these people, I don’t want them to think I’m a conceited jerk.
But then I thought, I do want to be great!
Don’t we all?
Greatness is something that can get mixed up with fame, tangled with recognition and associated with pride. But really, at the core of all of us, isn’t there a desire to be great at what we do? Who we are? What we share with those around us?
I want to be great because I care about the things that have been placed in my hands and my heart.
I want to be a great mom because I love my children.
I want to be a great wife because I care about my marriage.
I want to be a great daughter, sister, aunt because I value family.
I want to be a great friend because I’ve been given relationships that are important to me.
I want to be a great employee because I’m passionate about my work.
I want to be a great leader because I care about the things that have been entrusted to me.
I want to be a great writer because I want to grow in my purpose.
All of these things flowing from what has been given to me from my Maker.
Why wouldn’t I desire to be great, when I’m following the greatest?
Why would I want to waste away and settle for less than that potential?
The opposite of great, is terrible.
That’s definitely not part of my future plans.
Great can sometimes seem like a hollow word. We use it for shoes, movies, a good cup of coffee, paint on a wall, an exciting new restaurant or a book we read on vacation.
We use it as a descriptor, not as a goal.
At the core of greatness, is the effort it takes to get there.
Great is defined as having ability, quality, or eminence considerably above the normal or average. There’s nothing wrong with normal or average. But we don’t have to stop there. We can work hard to make the things we care about mean more.
I’m always aiming for great, and whatever comes after that.
True greatness, that flows from the right places can be measured by the effects and the impact that it has on those around us. It has the potential to move from a word to an action.
Greatness can be cultivated from within but how it flows is what matters.
If we care about greatness for ourselves, we’ve missed the point.
Care about being great because what you do and what you care about matters.
It’s ok to want to be great.