True greatness is the ability to achieve what you choose to achieve in the area you choose to achieve it; and to achieve it with excellence and a level of mastery (James Arthur Ray)

Do you have what it takes to be great? Many people assume that if you’re driving a nice car, live in a nice house or have an abundance of money that you are fulfilled in life. However from the quote above true greatness implies that you recognize the gifts you have and utilize them. The truth is you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone and many  a people are not recognized as great until after they are dead. Do you take the time out to acknowledge the great people around you? What traits do they have? I guess the most important question is what traits do you have that you are willing to share with the world. The bible says “A mans gift makes room for him and brings him before great men” (Proverbs 18:16). A great man serves. A great man shares his gifts for the benefit of others. Everyone has been given a gift, what are you doing with yours? If you are unsure about what you are good at, ask a close friend or someone you trust and if you agree, work on developing that gift by sharing it with others as many times as you can.

Greatness is about working on your craft. I like the advice Tiffany Haddish gave in her book “The Last Black Unicorn”, someone asked her what advice she would give to anyone trying to make a mark on the world and she said “Try to do a least one thing towards your goal everyday”. They say anything you do everyday for 21 days straight becomes a habit, so make it a habit to work on your craft daily. You will obtain mastery in your gift the more hours you put in. The standard amount of hours is 10,000 over a lifetime. Immediately the traits that come to mind when I think about putting those hours in are dedication, tenacity, grit, drive, patience, commitment and focus. Keep your eye on the prize and focus on the purpose. I always think of Will Smith whenever I talk about commitment and focus because he said that if he was on a treadmill and someone is on another treadmill next to him, either that person is getting off first or he is gonna die on that treadmill. He said this to illustrate that he will not be out worked. He is someone who recognizes his gift of tenacity, he admits he is not the most talented but he is a hard worker and that’s what gets him further than most.

The great men and women who have walked this earth usually have dedicated their life to a particular purpose, what are you committed to right now? Remember most great things in life are never achieved quickly. Some peoples visions extend across generations. Are you willing to fail and how many times are you willing to fail? Failure is usually the prerequisite to success. Greatness is about walking your own path and sometimes it may be a road no one has gone down before, so there are no examples or reference points to assure yourself that you are doing the right thing. Your greatest asset is your mind, your greatest currency is time are you putting both to good use on a daily basis?

We live in a microwave generation that expects overnight success, but anything worth having is worth working hard for, investing time in and nurturing. Often times we have many interests but the key to mastery is to focus on one thing and do that ONE thing well. So discover what you are good at, work on your craft, love what you do and make each minute count.