Greatness Within
Often times I've wondered, how many half truths have we based our understanding of our existence on. Take yourself back to kindergarten, you've just dropped off your backpack carrying your plastic lunchbox, and brand-new pencil case, put on your indoor shoes and stepped into the class. Your teacher directs you to all sit in a circle, and you play a hilarious and fun game of telephone. Without fail, the original message gets so diluted and distorted by the time it reaches the end of the circle.
We all have fond memories of the giggles and laughing that ensued. However, have we ever stopped to think that our understanding of ourselves comes from something equally as flawed, and ultimately hilarious? I sure didn't stop to explore the notion, until recently. We all hear buzz words from the latest self-help guru, or see inspirational quotes on LinkedIn and internalize them as truth without question. Most of us don't stop to explore the legitimacy of what's been said, or what the impact of believing that really is.
A common phrase I grew up hearing, reading, and seeing plastered everywhere was "There is greatness within you" or some iteration thereof. It's a thought we've all stopped to ponder, and at some core level have allowed to permeate our being. After spending time searching internally, I've realized that is a very flawed statement, one that only sets us up to fall. It's a phrase that is tossed around without enough questions asked. Is the greatness within me realized, or am I searching to unleash it? Does that greatness within me, make me great today, or do I have to find a way to show the world that greatness? How will I know when the greatness is achieved, or made known to others?
How more powerful and self-assured am I, if I go through life believing that I myself, am great. As opposed to spending my life searching for that inner greatness that every elder, and mentor in my life told me I have? How depressing, and disappointing is it truly to feel like you're going through life trying to unleash something inside you that feels trapped, stifled, and easily snuffed out by the world around you? When the truth is (at least my truth, remember ... not a doctor), I myself am great, I wasn't destined to be great, I am great. Try that statement on, see if it fits. No, being great doesn't mean perfect. We all have gaps, areas that need improving, and ways of interacting with the world that need growth. However if I truly have confidence in myself, and believe that I myself am capable and the fully realized vision of myself at this point in time, how powerful is that? How freeing is that? I'm not spending my life chasing the greatness I was promised, I'm going through life enjoying every moment, because in that very moment, I am who I need to be.
There are lots of messages that we take only part of the way, I've been challenging myself to take thoughts like the above, and truly flush it out all the way. Take it to its very end, and try it on.
Once again referencing the transformational coaching I was apart of this year, one of the key facilitators was once asked "Who are you?" in the coaching. Her response caught me off guard. She looked up with a confident, yet grounded expression, and effortlessly responded "I am as expansive as the universe."
I'll admit, I was skeptical at first. It really didn't land with me, or who I thought I was. However, I took that away, and examined the brilliance of that statement. A few takeaways that I took away were as follows:
- I am who I need to be, today. The universe isn't concerned about tomorrow, or yesterday, it's only aware of today.
- I am capable of the change I need. I have the tools, the thought, and ultimately the responsibility to control and respond to the world around me.
- I am enough. Try bringing that level of self assuredness into your relationships and see how they change. The nagging, negative, small fights that escalate seem far more meaningless when you believe "I am enough." Those fights over who is taking out the garbage, or fights over other small areas get a whole lot more meaningless when you don't feel like those are challenges of who or how great you are, and seem them for what they are, areas of improvement.
What I've realized is that our quest for meaning, and grandeur in our lives have taken our focus way to far into the future. Vision boards full of what we can and 'will' achieve if only we focus on it relentlessly have only gotten us to focus on how great we can be, instead of how great we are.
This is really tying nicely into my next thought, and something else I'm growingly more passionate about, the dangerous trap of goals, and the increasing importance of personal strategy.
But that's a thought for next time ...
We all have fond memories of the giggles and laughing that ensued. However, have we ever stopped to think that our understanding of ourselves comes from something equally as flawed, and ultimately hilarious? I sure didn't stop to explore the notion, until recently. We all hear buzz words from the latest self-help guru, or see inspirational quotes on LinkedIn and internalize them as truth without question. Most of us don't stop to explore the legitimacy of what's been said, or what the impact of believing that really is.
A common phrase I grew up hearing, reading, and seeing plastered everywhere was "There is greatness within you" or some iteration thereof. It's a thought we've all stopped to ponder, and at some core level have allowed to permeate our being. After spending time searching internally, I've realized that is a very flawed statement, one that only sets us up to fall. It's a phrase that is tossed around without enough questions asked. Is the greatness within me realized, or am I searching to unleash it? Does that greatness within me, make me great today, or do I have to find a way to show the world that greatness? How will I know when the greatness is achieved, or made known to others?
How more powerful and self-assured am I, if I go through life believing that I myself, am great. As opposed to spending my life searching for that inner greatness that every elder, and mentor in my life told me I have? How depressing, and disappointing is it truly to feel like you're going through life trying to unleash something inside you that feels trapped, stifled, and easily snuffed out by the world around you? When the truth is (at least my truth, remember ... not a doctor), I myself am great, I wasn't destined to be great, I am great. Try that statement on, see if it fits. No, being great doesn't mean perfect. We all have gaps, areas that need improving, and ways of interacting with the world that need growth. However if I truly have confidence in myself, and believe that I myself am capable and the fully realized vision of myself at this point in time, how powerful is that? How freeing is that? I'm not spending my life chasing the greatness I was promised, I'm going through life enjoying every moment, because in that very moment, I am who I need to be.
There are lots of messages that we take only part of the way, I've been challenging myself to take thoughts like the above, and truly flush it out all the way. Take it to its very end, and try it on.
Once again referencing the transformational coaching I was apart of this year, one of the key facilitators was once asked "Who are you?" in the coaching. Her response caught me off guard. She looked up with a confident, yet grounded expression, and effortlessly responded "I am as expansive as the universe."
I'll admit, I was skeptical at first. It really didn't land with me, or who I thought I was. However, I took that away, and examined the brilliance of that statement. A few takeaways that I took away were as follows:
- I am who I need to be, today. The universe isn't concerned about tomorrow, or yesterday, it's only aware of today.
- I am capable of the change I need. I have the tools, the thought, and ultimately the responsibility to control and respond to the world around me.
- I am enough. Try bringing that level of self assuredness into your relationships and see how they change. The nagging, negative, small fights that escalate seem far more meaningless when you believe "I am enough." Those fights over who is taking out the garbage, or fights over other small areas get a whole lot more meaningless when you don't feel like those are challenges of who or how great you are, and seem them for what they are, areas of improvement.
What I've realized is that our quest for meaning, and grandeur in our lives have taken our focus way to far into the future. Vision boards full of what we can and 'will' achieve if only we focus on it relentlessly have only gotten us to focus on how great we can be, instead of how great we are.
This is really tying nicely into my next thought, and something else I'm growingly more passionate about, the dangerous trap of goals, and the increasing importance of personal strategy.
But that's a thought for next time ...
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