Whether you know it or not, we were all born to be something. It had already been written in our individual “Book of Life” that there was a definite purpose as to why we existed. I believe we were all born to be great thinkers and purveyors of unbelievable talent, that our exhibition of greatness would mature in the same manner as our physical growth would and benefit one if not all of mankind. Our light, OUR GREATNESS would be meant not only for ourselves, but generations after, to study, marvel, and lead to other acts of GREATNESS. Some of us would find GREATNESS injected into our blood, privy to the best resources that life had to offer while others worked the fields of humility and circumstance to develop their GREATNESS—one small grain of self-esteem at a time.
Some of have died (or will die) for the sake of GREATNESS while others have lived (or will live) in pursuit of what they believe GREATNESS represents.
And while there’s only one who knows for sure what that GREATNESS represents for each of us, the one thing that we can be sure of is: GREATNESS should not be taken for granted.
12 years ago, you couldn’t tell me I wasn’t bound to do great things. I was a high school valedictorian. I had the awards, the accolades, everything. And the best part about it:
I was about to get up out of my mama’s house!!!
Not that I was just totally unhappy, but the thought of college, or even just being independent enough to move out of your parent’s house, was too good to be true. I could wake up when I want. Eat what I want. Go where I want without anybody’s permission. And lastly:
I could just BE ME!!!
The expectations and the impressions of this more than average student that I had bathed in for the prior 12 years, I didn’t have to do that anymore. Not that I was going to go attend college and be some kind of fool and just run amok, but the thought of college was that you had to have some pretty decent grades to get in. They weren’t taking any dummies. And I didn’t have to be the overachieving student anymore to get a degree. I didn’t have to study all the time or read all the books. I could miss class and not worry about being sent to see a disciplinarian. I could take the classes I wanted to take. I could dress how I wanted. I could do what felt best to me…and choose my own path.
And now that I think about it…that’s exactly what I did.
My first year of college, I rebelled against everything. I still maintained a 3.0 GPA, but you better believed I changed my look. I got both of my ear pierced. Grew my hair out and had cornrows for a few months (most people I know still think I’m lying to this day about that). I even wore sweats to school every day. Folks back home in Monroe hardly even recognized me. Now that I think about it, I probably wouldn’t have recognized myself either.
But it was fun. I wasn’t at someone’s beck and call, bound by any rules; and although I still had a good sense of “home training” and was interested in getting an education, I thought being “regular” was just fine by me. I was tired of that pressure to be “GREAT.” Being good at fitting in could be just as rewarding. Fitting in lasted 12 long years-- and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
In the game of life, the people who like to fade into the background, that are content with being just a part of the crowd…they probably have some of the most awesome talents/skills/stories on the planet. I guarantee you that a “stroke of genius” resides in us all. The difference between those that are apt to display that genius and those who don’t is the idea that being extraordinary or exemplary is not as appealing as it should be. The thought of being different or special brings about more criticism than congratulations because of the expectations of others. While that may be something that comes along with the territory, it’s hard not to be lured into a life of simplicity, mediocrity, or just a plain existence where you are no longer 1 in a million, but now just a number in that million.
Why?
Because the burden to share your GREATNESS is no longer a choice or a priority. The burden society places on you to not only expose your GREATNESS but also break down the flaws in what you consider to be GREAT are just words in the wind. The burden to maintain GREATNESS throughout your life is no longer fueled externally, but decided when, why, and how it was going to be put to use by the only person who mattered – ME.
So the REAL question here:
Is there a parallel between being GREAT and NORMAL???
Are the opportunities afforded to us to reveal our GREATNESS to the masses coincidental? Or are they blessings appropriately placed in our paths to give our Book of Life some color?
I wasn’t worried about my “book” back then because the only person I cared to read it was me. I felt that I was the only person who could understand exactly what it was that was going on in my head; and as long as I was content with the way I was going about living, then I believed I could find some sense of happiness in my own understanding of what type of life I was leading.
So you know what I did?
I started a new story. Same book, but realizing that my GREATNESS wasn’t meant to be kept to myself, I could no longer reside in a space where fitting in was a part of the tale I was going to live to the best of my ability then leave behind for others to read, put down, and collect dust. This story, this book, is going to be a classic. It is going to be something to remember.
Yet in order for me to have the story I want, the story that even a total stranger would never put down:
I have to be OK with being different…OK with the burden of expectation…OK with criticism without the congratulations.
OK with my GREATNESS...
--R.E.A.L.
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