Ever hear the phrase “From Good to Great?”
The context of the phrase of course is to be better than just good. To be greater than just okay. While that is of course what I believe and strive for in this life as an achiever, I wanted to also take a step back and give you a bit of insight on the transformation that comes with trying to be “Great”
Ever hear the phrase “Power corrupts…
…And absolute power, corrupts absolutely”. Well that is the point I am trying to make. When you set on the path of being “better” than where you were before, it changes you in the sense that it gives you a bigger sense of entitlement. When you start achieving more in your life, you start to feel more confident, and more powerful as an individual.
So, naturally, you keep going and going and going until you reach a level not of greatness but of arrogance. And that is what I want to point out. In the journey you are on, whatever it is, be aware that getting better most of the time is accompanied with getting an inflated sense of entitlement.
Goodness is better than Greatness
I’ve caught myself a lot of times falling into this trap. I start treating everyone around me with less respect. I become arrogant and start believing I am better than them. In the end, I do not feel great at all. I sink back down to a level not even human, and I start feeling awful.
In the recent movie “Oz” there was a line there that helped me realize what it was that I was missing in my journey. “Goodness is better than Greatness”. While this line is not at all to say you should not strive to be “great”, the line pointed out to me that it is better to be good and kind rather than great but arrogant.
Greatness is Kindness
The line, “Goodness is better than Greatness” is a constant reminder for me that the road to greatness is not just about leveling up your skills, or your wealth, or your power. It is simply to remember to be kind and to be grateful. And the best way to be grateful is to treat people all around you with genuine, sincere kindness and letting the “goodness” in you shine more than your self-esteem. Humility is strength, and kindness and goodness follow that strength.
Kindness is Strength
The road to “greatness” is paved with situations where you will be tested time and again not necessarily about how skilled you are, but how strong you are. The problem is, most of the time, we associate strength with “being a jerk” or being rude, nasty and cruel.
For me, that is the exact opposite of what real strength is. Thanks to my wife, who I regard as my best friend and mentor in life, she has shown me that strength is being kind in the face of adversity and tough situations. When I see (or think) of her, I am reminded that Kindness is strength, my actions on the other hand, of rudeness is simply weakness covered up with nasty words and loud voices and cruel actions.
Find a Role Model of Kindness in Your Journey To Being “Great”
I am lucky to have my wife as my role model. She is strong in her kindness. But make no mistake, she is not weak at all. She can be demanding with our staff, but she is loved because she is “good” inside and it shows in everything she does. I sometimes catch her taking an hour to compose a simple text message to someone, not even her close friend, just because she cares deeply about how the other person would feel about what she says. She cares because she is good and she is good because she is kind, and my wife is my role model on my journey to being “Great”.
It All Comes Back To How You Became “Great”
In the end, we are only visitors in this life. We are part of this world for only a short while and the game we play is to be the best we can be. To be “great” in our own way, whatever way that is.
I used to believe that the “End justifies any means” but as you get older, you begin to think about your mortality and the kind of legacy you want to leave behind. I now know that when I am in the last days of my life, I want to be surrounded by the people that I love, by the people I was good to, even if they were not good to me. I now know that I want to do right by people in general through how sincerely kind and good I was to them in my journey to “greatness”. And when I finally leave this life, I want to be remembered not by how “Great” I am, but really and in all honesty, by how “Good” I was.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
