Most of the world's truly GREAT people will remain forever
unknown. You and I will not hear of them and no one will
write their biographies.
Sure, I love watching an Oprah Winfrey and being inspired
by her life. It's fun to watch Donald Trump's show, or see
what a "domestic diva" like Martha Stewart can do. But most
of us will never have our own television show, and that has
little to do with greatness.
I love reading The Millionaire Next Door and realizing
there are over 300,000 millionaires in world, most of them
self-made. I love that among my own circle of friends there
are at least 40 self-made millionaires! Even more, I admire
the great parents I've known, and the teachers who inspired
me. The fascinating thing is that it's not hard to live a
great life!
Last Sunday, I thought about how lose Johnny Cash
unknown. You and I will not hear of them and no one will
write their biographies.
Sure, I love watching an Oprah Winfrey and being inspired
by her life. It's fun to watch Donald Trump's show, or see
what a "domestic diva" like Martha Stewart can do. But most
of us will never have our own television show, and that has
little to do with greatness.
I love reading The Millionaire Next Door and realizing
there are over 300,000 millionaires in world, most of them
self-made. I love that among my own circle of friends there
are at least 40 self-made millionaires! Even more, I admire
the great parents I've known, and the teachers who inspired
me. The fascinating thing is that it's not hard to live a
great life!
Last Sunday, I thought about how lose Johnny Cash
came to wasting his talent. It made me
think of Elvis Presley, John Belushi, Howard Hughes and the
thousands of others who made small decisions that led them
tragically astray. What's the difference between the
sadness of Marilyn Monroe and the greatness of Mother
Theresa?
We all have GREATNESS within us. Every one of us is born to
make a difference, to play our part, and transform our
corner of the world. We may not become famous, but we can
live with joy and gusto and greatness. Why do so many of us
settle for small problems, and small lives?
I think too many of us fail to grab hold of our personal
power.
Because we are not "powerful" on the world stage, we forget
that we have tremendous power in our choices. We may not be
rich or famous or unusually talented (I suspect each of us
is incredibly talented, but even if we aren't, so what?),
we still have the power to smile, to try, to persist. We
have the power to live with dignity and integrity and
ambition. We have the power to be loving, to be kind, to be
generous. We have the power to decide how we will live our
lives.
My sense is that it helps to have a big dream. My father
always told us that if we were going to dream, we might as
well dream BIG dreams, and I like that. I think what we
expect in life really matters. I think it helps to expect
the best and focus our thoughts, our attention and our
intention on big dreams.
But I also think it's vital that we not be distracted by
our own dreams. It's nice to aim high, so long as we
realize that even the biggest dreams happen one step at a
time. Donald Trump's fancy skyscrapers are build one rivet
at a time and now the President. Oprah built her empire one meeting, one
interview, and one decision at a time. "A journey of a
thousand miles starts with a single step."
Use your power! Hug someone, or call a friend. Spend an
hour with your kids, reading a good book or getting some
exercise. Do it today, not tomorrow or "someday." Take
action and use your power to skip desert or to make one
more sales call. Today, take some action to move your life
in the direction you want to go.
Both Nelson Mendella and Marianne Williamson have been
credited with the insight that our greatest fear is not
that we are powerless, but that (in fact!) we are powerful
beyond measure. Whoever said it first, I think it's true.
You are powerful beyond measure! You have the power to
change your world any time you wish. Use your power! Give a
smile to someone who needs one. Get up a bit earlier, or
work a bit longer. Put legs under your dreams and make them
happen. Begin today, one step at a time.
think of Elvis Presley, John Belushi, Howard Hughes and the
thousands of others who made small decisions that led them
tragically astray. What's the difference between the
sadness of Marilyn Monroe and the greatness of Mother
Theresa?
We all have GREATNESS within us. Every one of us is born to
make a difference, to play our part, and transform our
corner of the world. We may not become famous, but we can
live with joy and gusto and greatness. Why do so many of us
settle for small problems, and small lives?
I think too many of us fail to grab hold of our personal
power.
Because we are not "powerful" on the world stage, we forget
that we have tremendous power in our choices. We may not be
rich or famous or unusually talented (I suspect each of us
is incredibly talented, but even if we aren't, so what?),
we still have the power to smile, to try, to persist. We
have the power to live with dignity and integrity and
ambition. We have the power to be loving, to be kind, to be
generous. We have the power to decide how we will live our
lives.
My sense is that it helps to have a big dream. My father
always told us that if we were going to dream, we might as
well dream BIG dreams, and I like that. I think what we
expect in life really matters. I think it helps to expect
the best and focus our thoughts, our attention and our
intention on big dreams.
But I also think it's vital that we not be distracted by
our own dreams. It's nice to aim high, so long as we
realize that even the biggest dreams happen one step at a
time. Donald Trump's fancy skyscrapers are build one rivet
at a time and now the President. Oprah built her empire one meeting, one
interview, and one decision at a time. "A journey of a
thousand miles starts with a single step."
Use your power! Hug someone, or call a friend. Spend an
hour with your kids, reading a good book or getting some
exercise. Do it today, not tomorrow or "someday." Take
action and use your power to skip desert or to make one
more sales call. Today, take some action to move your life
in the direction you want to go.
Both Nelson Mendella and Marianne Williamson have been
credited with the insight that our greatest fear is not
that we are powerless, but that (in fact!) we are powerful
beyond measure. Whoever said it first, I think it's true.
You are powerful beyond measure! You have the power to
change your world any time you wish. Use your power! Give a
smile to someone who needs one. Get up a bit earlier, or
work a bit longer. Put legs under your dreams and make them
happen. Begin today, one step at a time.
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