Accomplishment As Artwork

Since the beginning of time, man is already seeking greatness.
Glory, gold and God were three major reasons that fueled a
Colonial World. Greatness is sought after by all people. Fame,
wealth, prestige and many other forms of power are considered
greatness but what does greatness really mean? Here are
realistic, biblical principles to greatness:

1. Greatness is when you do not follow the crowd.

Noah was considered a crazy man when he built the ark. Great
people are often people with intense desires that they stand
above the rest. Gandhi is one of the most influential leaders of
his time, and his greatness can be attributed to his conviction
to have a peaceful means of protest. If he gave in to the
pressures of the crowd and succumbed to their desire for a
violent means of protesting, then history as we know it would be
different. People who think outside the common knowledge of the
crowd, people who think outside the box. They are given the
chance to be great.

2. Greatness is when you offer yourself to the service of others.

Great leaders all throughout history are leaders that are self
sacrificing. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice by giving up
himself to all. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 20 years,
without his sacrifices for South Africa; the world would be
different right now. Bolivar also served his generation. He took
the call to arms, and thus resulting in the birth of a nation,
Bolivia is named after him. Contrary to the crowds beliefs,
greatness cannot be achieved through violence or excessive use
of force. Greatness happens when you go to the extreme end, it
is when you do not ask for attention, nor seek recognition. When
you toil behind the scenes and behind the camera, when you
continue until the wee hours of the morning, that is greatness.

3. Greatness starts when you have a vision.

A vision is something that you live, and are willing to die for.
It is something bigger than you. Some people call this a cause.
Communism is a vision; just as Martin Luther’s anti-racism
movement is a vision. A vision is something that meets needs,
makes lives better and in the vaguest sense, changes the world.
Visionaries are exceptional people. Griggs Candler of Coca-Cola
believed that one day, everyone in the world will be drinking
Coke. It is his crazy vision which came to pass. Coca cola does
not have any therapeutic value, it is unhealthy, it is made
mostly of addictive chemicals and sugar yet the entire planet
drinks it up. Vision is halfway to greatness.

4. Greatness meets the needs of others.

See the need, feel the need. We often hear this, but we rarely
pay attention to it. Why do you think Bill Gates made millions
of dollars? It is because he found out that the world needs
Personal Computers. He had a vision, that there will be a PC in
every American household. At the time, the idea seemed
preposterous, but he created that need, and he answered our
needs.

Before Starbucks, coffee was not served by the cup in Seattle.
It seemed to be a crazy idea to do so but it met people’s needs
for quality coffee.

5. Greatness is uncompromising.

Greatness stands with its convictions. It does not bow down to
mediocrity. If you really want to be great, it will consume you.
It will eat you up. Many times people who are after greatness
are branded as heretics, lunatics, and crazy. They are scorned,
humiliated and often alone. Einstein is one of the greatest
thinkers of the modern age. He revolutionized the scientific
worldview with his Theories of Relativity. When he was a student
though, people make fun of his wacky ideas. Great men are
disciplined in their field, everything boils down to perfection.
Michael Schumacher, the greatest F1 racer that ever graced this
planet, revealed that he would practice until he perfects his
turns.

We are all destined to greatness. We just have to find our niche
or our environment where we can grow. Not every place can be
considered a fertile soil for you. Find your mission in life.
Search for it and do not give up right smack the middle of your
race. Continue to fight, and do not let adversity put you down.
Greatness welcomes pressures and adversity. Problems will make
you stronger if you learn how to face it. Greatness does not
exist in a vacuum; it does not thrive in utopia. It is greatness
because it exists where chaos lurks. It is for all of us, yet
only a few people dare the journey and take the call to
greatness. Are you up to the challenge?