I'm surrounded by greatness

Well, maybe I should change that to I'm surrounded by great friends. Friends that have their priorities straight, are well educated, intelligent, intuitive, accomplished, and overall just really fantastic people. I'm extremely grateful for them. It used to have a detrimental effect on me though. Odd I know, but constantly seeing the great accomplishments of those around me, whether it be school, work, athletics, or church would lead me to think of my own short-comings and failures. In one way it's a form of pride. Not from the top looking down, but from the bottom looking up, resenting that I wasn't better than I felt I should be. Fortunately that's changed.

The other day I was having a conversation with a close friend. Those that know me can tell I'm a pretty open guy, and I'm pretty easy to read. Nevertheless I tend to keep my group of close, tight-knit friends relatively small. I have many friends that reside in the outer surface, but I'm quite picky on who makes it to the inner-core. We were talking about our accomplishments and goals and what drives us forward. He mentioned that one of his problems was seeing how fantastic his friends around him were in comparison to himself, which in turn made him feel quite inadequate. Sound familiar? He was feeling the exact same way that I had been feeling. What was ironic was that this particular friend was one of those whom I looked up to and considered much more adequate than myself.

From our little chat I had an apostrophe, er...should I say, epiphany (name the reference, clue on the left). I think our close friends consist of those that have similar goals and values as we do, so I told him that his friends weren't his friends because they were better than him, but rather they were friends with him because he was like them. I had been driving home from work when our conversation had taken place and when it was over I just sat in my car thinking on my own words. I realized that if he was great because of his friends, and that I also felt I had great friends, I had to place myself within that same realm of greatness. Now I say that not to be boastful in any way, but to provide a rise in self-esteem that was much needed.

I am by no means perfect, and neither are you. We all have little quirks that we notice about ourselves, and many times feel that we don't match up to the unreasonably high expectations we set for ourselves. We feel inadequate as we face the trials of life. Nevertheless we are of great worth. We just may have not yet reached our full potential yet. Still, it got me thinking about the difference between what makes people great, versus those that are just ordinary.

Make no mistake. This world is full of ordinary people. Ordinary people that will amount to little or nothing in the pages of history and sadly, their lives. Ordinary people that will go with the flow of life, rarely causing problems, but never resolving them. Ordinary people that are not thought to be called upon in a time of need. To me, such a life is depressing. However, all ordinary people have the potential to become great, or extra-ordinary. Extra-ordinary people are willing and able to do things that others simply cannot do. Extra-ordinary people do not settle for mediocrity, but strive for excellence. Extra-ordinary people rise to the occasion when called upon, and in consequence, are continuously improving their lives. They are constantly working towards progression.

Which one you become is completely up to you. I've decided that I wouldn't be content living an ordinary life. Complacency isn't something I feel is worth settling for, and neither should you. We were meant for greatness.

My Dad has a plaque posted above his computer with words from a motivational speaker. "If you'll do for two years of your life what most people WON'T do, you'll be able to do the rest of your life what most people CAN'T do." Makes sense doesn't it? Like the bodybuilder pushing to do one more rep, or the jogger pushing for one more mile, we need to push ourselves to productivity and we'll able to do what others don't have the ability to do.

Wow, I completely wasn't meaning to go off like that, but I suppose writing will do that. You learn a lot about how you think and feel when you write. In the end all I'm trying to say is that I hope my life will reflect the words of Robert Frost (don't give me your overanalytical viewpoint, just enjoy the words as they are); That when I saw two roads that diverge in the woods I can say I took the one less traveled, and that it's made all the difference.