Is greatness really that important?

[pdnewbie]

There are 6-7 billion people in the world. How can all those people achieve greatness. Isn't that a little unrealistic. Isn't greatness a privilege of the few? Wouldn't it be better if some, if not many, lived in so-called 'mediocrity', but they act as the grease that keeps the wheels of society moving forward? Don't we need better leaders, rather than more? Do you really think it's possible that everyone can be great? I'm looking forward to your thoughts. Note that I'm not too great myself. I'm speaking from a position of confusion, and disillusionment.

[Christian223]

I think that beign great its just a choice, but not everyone can take that choice, im not sure why but it seems that you need the right kind of mind or you must be in the right situation in life when you can make that choice, or both at the same time. Its like a crossroad, most people never reach this crossroad, i dont know why, but its the reality i guess.
Quality is better than quantity, yep, we need better leaders. Its an interesting question, i guess personall development are just for some people, not all the world.

[daveangeles]

Not everyone needs to be 'great' in the eyes of the world.

As you've basically said, there can be only so many leaders at a given time.

The key is to live a life that makes you happy. Nobody is really keeping score -- if you're happy and have good people in your life, that's a success in my book.

Angeles

[alexander.kharlamov]

It really depends on your definition of "great."

When I was a kid, my definition of "greatness" was either becoming a scientist and discovering something groundbreaking, or becoming a military commander and winning a battle or war.

Then, in my teenage years, my definition shifted to creating something great - music, art, novel, a video game.

Then, as I graduated from college, "greatness" to me started to mean only "become a billionaire."

Now, a few years after college, I've realized that greatness doesn't necessarily mean something extraordinary in other people's eyes. If two people manage to have a lasting marriage, raise a loving family and grow old together - that's great. Remarkable, actually. Why have I started thinking that? Because as I got older, I see how difficult it actually is. How few people ever manage to have a trouble-free marriage.

So, to be great, you have to think - what does it really mean to YOU to be great? And then, work towards becoming that. :-)

[pdnewbie]

I searched his blogs and found one that covered this issue:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...we-all-starve/

It makes things clearer and puts into perspective. It's extremely likely that not many people on this planet will be living a purpose-driven life due to Pavlina's website anytime soon. It is worth making the effort to give it a go. Who knows, with a bit of skill, luck and patience, I may do well in the game of life. I'll keep trying.

[tc33]

Originally Posted by pdnewbie

How can all those people achieve greatness. Isn't that a little unrealistic. Isn't greatness a privilege of the few?

...I'm speaking from a position of confusion, and disillusionment.

Hi pdnewbie

What exactly is the source of your disillusionment? Do you feel that everyone should achieve greatness? First off, it just won't happen. Due to the fact that PD takes significant personal effort, you can knock off 90% of the population right there. The status quo is a powerful force. Second, why are you worried about everyone else? Are you trying to rationalize the fact that you're actually afraid to be 'great'? You may take comfort in the fact that you're 'just like everyone else', but I certainly don't. Working a 9-5 I hate to buy crap I don't need isn't the lifestyle I want. Do you want to be this guy? Working Man Proud Of Job He Hates | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

The premise of my response could be totally off here, but make sure you click the link; the onion is funny as ♥♥♥♥♥

Tom

[Akashic_Librarian]

Isn't the man who works everyday in the dead end job, earning what little he can to feed his family, in fact great?

Isn't the single mom, through no means of her own left to raise a child in poverty and tries her best day in day out to do the best thing she knows how to do, isn't she great?


But when I look at the so called "great" people today; Celebrities, those born into wealth, the outdated monarchy, business men that lie cheat and steal, I ask myself, is that what constitues "great" theses days, if so, then I don't ever want to be great.

[tc33]

Originally Posted by Akashic_Librarian

Isn't the man who works everyday in the dead end job, earning what little he can to feed his family, in fact great?

Isn't the single mom, through no means of her own left to raise a child in poverty and tries her best day in day out to do the best thing she knows how to do, isn't she great?

To each his own, Akashic. I can only define "great" for myself, but I cannot pass judgement on anyone, especially a man working a dead end job or a single mom doing her best. It doesn't matter what I think. Do they think they're great? Are they enthralled with their lives? I sincerely hope they are!

"Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins."
-- Native American Proverb

Originally Posted by Akashic_Librarian

But when I look at the so called "great" people today; Celebrities, those born into wealth, the outdated monarchy, business men that lie cheat and steal, I ask myself, is that what constitues "great" theses days, if so, then I don't ever want to be great.

"Celebrated" or "publicized" doesn't necessarily equate to "greatness". For me, I equate achieving one's dreams with greatness. What is the greatest life one can imagine for themself? What are they doing to make it reality?

Perhaps you haven't thought about it. What is your definition of greatness? Is it simply being on TV? An heir to a billion dollar empire? A crooked executive?

- Tom

[Akashic_Librarian]

For me, greatness is putting yourself last. Helping everyone but you.

Greatness is fighting a battle others are too afraid to think on.


Greatness is The Steel against Steel and The Magic against Magic.

[Michael Chui]

Recommend everyone take a look at Time Magazine's Person of the Year.

[dECLAN]

May be easier to look in the mirror.

[Michael Chui]

Well, the article itself isn't terrible. :P

[tc33]

Originally Posted by Akashic_Librarian

For me, greatness is putting yourself last. Helping everyone but you.

Greatness is fighting a battle others are too afraid to think on.


Greatness is The Steel against Steel and The Magic against Magic.

Akashic, that's very altruistic of you. I wish you well. BTW, have you ever read Atlas Shrugged? You might enjoy it

[Jon]

Originally Posted by tc33

Akashic, that's very altruistic of you. I wish you well. BTW, have you ever read Atlas Shrugged? You might enjoy it

I'm not sure he would. Except if you mean the Steel thing?

[stephencp]

"For me, greatness is putting yourself last. Helping everyone but you.
Greatness is fighting a battle others are too afraid to think on."

Even Bodhisattvas need to take care of "themselves" first to become enlightened and THEN work to save everyone else. Put on your own oxygen mask and THEN help your child. It's all the same....

You must actively help other people in this world. The "altruists" just don't want anything of value in return. Of course, this often leads to socialist beaurucrats "helping" people in the ways THEY think they need to be helped versus what the "customer" thinks since they are looking to be paid.

In line with Atlas Shrugged (which I heartily endorse except for it's atheist point of view), the free market ensures that everyone is doing what is "valuable" as defined by those who are willing to exchange something of value for it as opposed to what we think "should" be valuable.

Stephen
Power-Book Library: Free personal development, success, inspiration and motivational classics
TSTN | The Success Training Network

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by stephencp

Even Bodhisattvas need to take care of "themselves" first to become enlightened and THEN work to save everyone else. Put on your own oxygen mask and THEN help your child. It's all the same....

I still prefer the way of thinking where helping yourself is the same as helping others, and helping others is the same as helping yourself.

[tc33]

Originally Posted by Jon

I'm not sure he would.

Well, I can't recommend a book, tell him he'll hate it, and then expect him to read it anyways, now can I?

OK, let's try it this way:

Akashic, you obviously want to make the world a better place. In order to help you achieve this, you might consider reading Atlas Shrugged with an open mind. You probably already know it is a great book that everyone should read. The world will be a better place and you will be happier with your soon-to-be-acquired perspective.

Hmmm...was that persuasive enough? I'm reading The Psychology of Persuasion at the moment...

[Alvin]

You can also read Stephen Covey's excellent '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'.

In it, he says; 'private victories precede public victory'.

Greatness isn't a zero-sum game no matter how many billions of people are on the planet, there's enough greatness to go around

[joshbickford]

Why would you want to spend your life doing something other than what you felt was great? Why would you say to yourself, "hmmm, I want to settle for everything, and live a boring and mediocre life?"

Life is not what you possess, it's what possesses you.

I heard Dr. Tom Anderson say that and it's pretty close to my position of greatness. Greatness it not defined by your possessions at all, it's defined by your own definition of greatness. If you're not striving to be the best at what you do then you are selling yourself short.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by pdnewbie

Do you really think it's possible that everyone can be great?

Yes and no.

"No" because Greatness is a relative trait. You can only be 'great' compared to those around you.

"Yes" because just about anyone can reach a standard that we would currently consider "great".

Of course, then the scale would readjust and everyone would be 'just' ordinary rather than great, but the world would be better off...

[John Hill]

My grandmother took care of me in the afternoons after school for years while my parents were still at work and has been there for me my whole life giving me her unconditional love always. I know there is nothing she would not do for me that was within her power. To me my grandmother is one of the greatest people on earth.

We all have the ability to be great if we choose to be.

John

[ReallyGoodIdeas]

I reckon greatness is a relative thing in that we all have to define it for ourselves. If we meet up with our criteria for greatness - we are all great! Yay!!

In that sense, every single person on earth (and any other creatures with sentient thought) can be great.

You can only be 'great' compared to those around you.

With respect, I don't think greatness is a comparison thing. That just makes it "keeping up with the Jones's, PD style"!

By using my definition of Greatness, we are all helping ourselves, which helps everyone around us, by raising the level of consciousness generally and acting as a great example.

You must actively help other people in this world.

We cannot help others unless it's by helping ourselves become great. Any "shortfall" we see in others indicates a lack within ourselves. By accepting others "faults" and thereby learning what we are resisting within ourselves, we better accept ourselves, leading to more greatness, and the positive spiral continues.

Joy to you
Hazel

[Jill]

I think that everyone can and should strive for greatness in everything they do.

[wilsonng]

we don't have to be great in the eyes of others.

But in order to be happy, we should look great to ourselves. IN short, we should feel that our life has been worthwhile.


Not everybody can be great. But we should all have the freedom to aspire for it.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by ReallyGoodIdeas

With respect, I don't think greatness is a comparison thing. That just makes it "keeping up with the Jones's, PD style"!

Just because Greatness is judged by comparison doesn't necessarily mean that the way to become great is by comparing yourself to others. To become great you must be exceptional compared to everyone else, and you can't do that by following them. So 'keeping up with the Joneses' isn't enough.

There's actually a third corollary I should've mentioned:
(1) You can only be Great relative to other people
(2) Everyone can lift themselves to a level that would currently be considered Great; therefore
(3) New and higher levels of Great become possible

Filipo Brunelleschi was a Great painter - he painted more realistic paintings of man-made structures than any other artist using an invention of his own - one-point linear perspective.

When other artists (Leonardo Da Vinci amongst them) copied Bunelleschi's technique were they 'just keeping up with the Joneses'? In a way. They strived to better themselves, and they did so based on the standards of those around them. But they then built on and refined that knowledge to reach new and greater heights of their own.

Nowadays, not only one-point, but also two and three-point perspectives are routine in art. What was once great is now mundane. So the art world goes off in search of new 'Greats' to conquer.

The bar is raised through 'coopertition' and that's not a bad thing...

[bleachjt]

Hmm, I don't care about being an admired person in the eyes of the world. I used to in my younger days, but last year I realized that I wanted to be happy, and that is my new goal in life. The pursuit of pleasure and happiness. Let other be "great" if they so chose. It's not for everyone.

[John Wesley]

Greatness, in the public respect, is not that important. The greatness we're discussing is the greatness of schoolmasters. It isn't real. It is only an image of a person that others have taken hold of and preached about because it served their purposes. Real greatness exists only in the present moment. To be truly great, you need be great only to yourself.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by John Wesley

Greatness, in the public respect, is not that important. The greatness we're discussing is the greatness of schoolmasters. It isn't real. It is only an image of a person that others have taken hold of and preached about because it served their purposes. Real greatness exists only in the present moment. To be truly great, you need be great only to yourself.

So you're automatically Great if you set your standards low enough?

[DiscoDan]

'Greatness' is a three-step process:

Step 1: You find something you're passionate about, and commit to living, breathing, and eating this passion every day for the rest of your life.

Step 2: When other people tell you, "You can't possibly achieve this," you push forward.

Step 3: When you tell yourself, "You can't possibly achieve this," you push forward.

If we define greatness in this way, it is both achievable and useful. So why not aspire to it?

[Liara Covert]

Feeling great is not necessarily the same as being arrogant. You can choose to feel happy and healthy. How you feel about yourself begins with you. If you think you're great at what you do, that you make a valuable contribution to the lives of others, it shouldn't matter what other people think. Do the best you feel you can do at what you're passionate about. Reach out for advice to build on your skills. Yous self-esteem and self-worth can develop alongside your self-confidence. If other people don't think you're great, step back to look at things yourself. You can ultimately measure your own achievements based on your previous efforts.

Remind yourself that Western societies in particular often idealize individuals in sports, entertainment, leadership, thrill-seekers and even romance adventure. On the covers of magazines, on TV and in other media, you're confronted with the faces you condition ourselves to admire. Ask yourself why you may wish to emulate these people? Why do you need to have what they have? It's good to set the bar high and work to achieve standards that make you feel good about yourself. Just take time to explore the real you. You need not try to become someone you're not. Successful people may inspire you but your own talents and potential are waiting for you to discover.