Greatness In Examples of Excellence

Greatness. What is is it?

We say that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are great basketball players, that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were great American presidents, that Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway were great writers, but the special talents that we recognize them for are only indicators of greatness. How does one become great? By delving further into these examples, we can come to an understanding of just what greatness is and where it comes from.

Athletes are cultural icons of the current generation. Their physical prowess transforms them into the heroes of youth. Their performance can inspire or depress. Their personal choices can build or break their image. Their triumphs are collective triumphs. Their failures are shared burdens.

For athletes, greatness is speed, strength, endurance, teamwork, and the ability to score. Premier athletes are not born at the peak of their excellence—they had to work to get where they are. That effort comes in the form of practice. Practice is the exercising of skills to develop muscle memory and instinctive reaction. Practice takes time. Practice requires dedication. Practice is hard. But it shows in performance.

Presidents are probably the most scrutinized individuals in a country. They are under extreme duress to direct the affairs of a nation and manage diplomacy between the hundreds of nations across the globe. They have advisors, but when the decision has to be made, it’s the president that has to make the final call.

For a president, greatness is the ability to lead millions of people effectively, using all available information to make educated decisions. Greatness is charisma and the talent of being able to gain the support of others. Greatness is being extremely thoughtful and calculating. These skills, while sometimes innate, must be developed through education and experience. Education is the accumulation of relevant information and its synthesis to extract meaning. Education requires diligence. Education is challenging. But when the chips are down, education can make the difference between exhilarating success and paralyzing defeat.

Writers are immortal. By recording their words in written language, they are guaranteeing themselves a place in the memories of society. Some writers are more prolific and therefore occupy a greater space in the collective conscious than others, Twain and Hemingway being two of them.

Their mastery of the English language and their ability to weave meaningful tales are what make them great. But for every great story idea, there are five hundred bad ideas. Writers must fill their minds with powerful stories, dissect and analyze them, and then develop a style that suits the audience they seek. Reading takes time. Drafting is exhausting. Revising is painful. But high-caliber writing can change the world.

As these examples illustrate, greatness does not have any one standard of measurement. It cannot be measured in a single quantifiable unit; it is relative and subjective. While this relativity can, and does, cause dispute among individuals about who or what is great and why, it remains an inherent component of what greatness is

Now, if greatness is not empirical, what is it? Greatness comes from within. Great people accomplished great feats through diligence, sacrifice, and will power, all of which come from inside.

You cannot substitute others’ sacrifices for your own; you will gain nothing; you will not grow.

You cannot transplant knowledge; you must collect it; you must earn it.

You cannot presume mastery of concepts to which you have no connection or exposure; you will have no authority; your perspective will be irrelevant.

Greatness is the result of the human spirit trumping the physical limitations of a mortal body. Greatness is spiritual. Greatness is an indicator of progression toward one’s ultimate potential.