Each of us has greatness inside of us. But that greatness doesn’t just burst forth to make a difference in the world without a conscious effort. You need to enable and empower that greatness. It requires effort. It requires hard work.
How do you discover your own personal greatness?
First of all you need to be passionate about something. What is it that excites you? Perhaps you want to save lives by being a doctor or a nurse in a trauma center? Perhaps you love cooking and want to become a Cordon Bleu chef. Perhaps you are an inventor or creative entrepreneur who can bring products to market that improve people’s lives? Perhaps you can become the CEO of a major company guiding the fortunes of thousands of employees, partners and investors?
You have to decide what your true passion is, and then practice, practice, practice.
You have to throw that passion into hours, weeks, months and yes, years, of persistent hard work.
Michael Jordan didn’t wake up as one of the best basketball players in the world. He had to hone his skills with day-long training sessions. Garry Kasparov didn’t become the greatest chess player (perhaps of all time) without years of schooling. It wasn’t good luck that helped Warren Buffett become the most successful investor of the 20th century. His greatness came from study, research and testing his strategies.
To find your greatness you have to love what you do. And work hard.
Researchers, in fact, have revealed that before becoming “world class” most top performers in any field need to have invested about 10 years of hard work. They call it “the 10 Year Rule.” They maintain that no-one is born great; that there is no natural innate gift. Instead it comes from dedication and focus.
Finding your greatness doesn’t mean being better than everyone. It’s about being the best that you can be. It’s about believing in yourself; being true to yourself, and giving 100 percent all of the time. If, for whatever reason, you find yourself in a job you hate—start looking for a new one. But first make sure that this time it’s something that fulfills your passion.
Be willing to take risks. Be prepared to fail. No-one achieved greatness by being timid. Be open to new challenges. Be flexible. When you’re open to experiencing everything life has to offer you’re opening yourself up to becoming a rock star. Resist the temptation to compare yourself to others. You are your own yardstick. Measure your success by your accomplishments; by achieving your goals and, most of all, true happiness. The pursuit of excellence and the journey to greatness are there for everyone—if you work at it long enough and hard enough.
Get started. Be Bold. Find your greatness. As one great writer said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”