Ken Poirot's Blog - Posts Tagged "true-greatness"
The Pursuit of Greatness...
Success versus Greatness
In my last post I wrote about the "Three Keys to Success," namely:
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
If you have not read that post already, you can access it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
So what is the difference between success and greatness?
Success is very personal; everyone has their own definition of what constitutes success. For example, some people may have set financial goals, like accumulating a certain amount of money, attaining a specific level of annual income, or achieving complete financial freedom.
For others success may be creating a non-profit organization for a definitive cause in order to help others.
Someone else may measure success as channeling all their Time (T) and Energy (E) into the mastery of the arts, music, literature, a particular sport, etc...
In this way, success is a very individualized and personalized experience that has a different definition from one person to another. Since we all have divergent goals in life, therefore, success is subjective in the eye of the beholder; as such, success to you may not necessarily be seen as success by someone else.
Greatness takes success to an entirely different level and order of magnitude. In contrast to success, which is measured internally, true greatness is measured externally by its impact on society as a whole.
For some, their ultimate measure of success may be to attain greatness. For this reason, in addition to helping people achieve their definition of success, elements and exercises are incorporated into the design of Mentor Me to help people achieve greatness, if that is their personal ambition.
What are the Requirements to Achieve Greatness?
The first step in achieving greatness is to attain success. In addition to that, the ultimate fulfillment of true greatness necessitates an extraordinarily higher level of three further requirements, namely:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
Greatness is defined by public recognition of the value of ones contributions to society, and therefore, true greatness is a bit more elusive to obtain than success.
Yes, success requires a degree of these three requirements above, but if your ultimate vision is to achieve greatness in life, you will have to take your personal sacrifice, belief, and conviction to an even higher level once you have reached success.
Let's look at three people in history who I think we can all agree realized true greatness.
Each of these individuals exhibited an extraordinary level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction in their lives, above and beyond their initial achievement of success.
Nevertheless, I will highlight one of these specific requirements over the other two, as I explore these individuals who exemplify greatness.
Sacrifice: Nikola Tesla
When I think of sacrifice , I think of Nikola Tesla. It can be argued that Tesla's work has touched virtually every man, woman, and child in the modern world.
His work with alternating current (with Westinghouse), including the very public opposition of Thomas Edison's direct current structure, eventually led to the adoption of alternating current as the more efficient world standard for electricity production and distribution.
Nikola Tesla sacrificed everything for his work. He was estranged from his family in Croatia and he never married. In fact, it is said he may never have had any romantic relationships in his life; he believed celibacy was important to keep him focused on his work.
Later on in life, as documented by a reporter, Tesla remarked, "Sometimes I feel that by not marrying, I made too great a sacrifice to my work ..."
When Tesla died, he was found by a maid in the Hotel New Yorker in New York City, alone, penniless, and in debt.
I was thinking about Tesla when I penned the quote, "Some journeys in life can only be traveled alone."
For this reason, this quote is portrayed with a photo of Nikola Tesla, which you can see here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
His life unfolds as a story of sacrifice and tragedy. One of his brothers died when he was only five years old, a prolonged nine month battle with cholera almost killed him multiple times, he never graduating from his university due to his gambling addiction and disagreements with his professor, he had many public fights with his one time mentor, Thomas Edison, he lost various patents when he was ousted from the first company he founded, and he had to resort to digging ditches just to survive at one point in his life.
Tesla sacrificed for his scientific work, for which he received great recognition. His success was so highly regarded by the scientific community during his lifetime, that it is said he was considered for a joint Nobel Prize with his nemesis Thomas Edison.
Tesla's greatness is immortalized by his many scientific awards, the impact of his work on society, the Tesla unit named after him (world standard unit for the measurement of magnetic flux density), Tesla Day in his native nation of Croatia, his photo gracing the cover of Time Magazine, an airport named after him, various planetary objects with his namesake, museums, his face on stamps and money, etc...
Throughout his life, Tesla exhibited all three of the requirements necessary for greatness; it was not just dependent on his personal sacrifice, he also had an extraordinary belief and conviction in his abilities, as well as the importance of his work.
Having said that, I see Tesla's life as the epitome of sacrifice.
Tesla was literally married to his work.
As a result, his contributions to the world earned him a level of greatness which transcends time.
Belief: Steve Jobs
When I think of the word belief , I think of Steve Jobs. What best defines his contributions to the world, technology, and the impact of his inventions on the average person, is Steve Jobs' belief. The driving force behind his achievements is his belief he could take complex technologies, make them fun, simple to use, and deliver this experience to the average person.
This belief permeated all the innovations Steve Jobs created. Jobs certainly sacrificed for his belief and vision of creating new, innovative, and intuitively easy-to-use technological products for the masses.
We need to look no further than his public dispute with the board of Apple to catch a glimpse into his sacrifices. One can't imagine what he must have been feeling when he was ousted from Apple in September 1985, the company he founded, due to his disagreements with Apple's Board of Directors.
Even at that point in his life, if he had just walked away from technology and business, he still would have achieved a staggering level of personal and professional success.
What makes Steve Jobs truly great is the fact he continued to pursue his core belief and create new, innovative products which never existed previously. He dreamed up these complex electronic devices, then designed them to be fun and intuitively user-friendly for the average person time and time again.
To me, Steve Jobs is the epitome of the word belief.
Of course, he also had the conviction to make his belief and vision come true.
There is no doubt, Steve Jobs had an unprecedented impact on the everyday lives of billions of people around the world. The user-friendly technologies he invented makes his greatness truly legendary.
Conviction: Benjamin Franklin
So what is the difference between belief and conviction?
Belief can change over time, but conviction is unwavering belief on steroids. Conviction is the unconditional faith that moves mountains, to paraphrase the Bible.
When I think of conviction, I think of Benjamin Franklin.
Yes, Benjamin Franklin also sacrificed much for his greatness. His own son, who Benjamin Franklin adored as his beloved companion early in his life, chose to side with England during The Revolutionary War. This created a painfully tragic rift between Benjamin Franklin and his son that was never repaired in their lifetime.
As the chief diplomat for the American colonies in England, France, and then again in England after The Revolutionary War, he spent a great deal of his life separated from his wife. In fact, he was in England when his wife died of a stroke in 1774. He later returned to America only after his work was done, in 1775.
Benjamin Franklin was the equivalent of an iconic celebrity, debutante, and rock star, all rolled into one in his day. He was a successful author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat known throughout the world.
He is one of those rare individuals who actually achieves greatness within his own lifetime.
What stands out for me the most though, is Benjamin Franklin's conviction. As mentioned earlier, belief can be changed; early in his life, Benjamin Franklin was loyal to England. This belief began to change as England flexed its muscles over the American colonists.
The final change for Benjamin Franklin, turning his belief into conviction for American independence, resulted from the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. After this event, England's Privy Council summoned Benjamin Franklin into their court where they put him on "trial," verbally and publicly humiliating him.
Historians say Benjamin Franklin walked into that meeting with the belief in England and the American colonists reconciling their differences, but walked out with the conviction that independence from England was the only viable solution for America.
Benjamin Franklin biographer, Edwin S. Gaustaud, in his book, Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America, would write the following in reference to this meeting:
From Franklin's own words, his belief in compromise gave way to a new belief, and deep-rooted conviction for the need of American independence from England.
Benjamin Franklin is later credited with his diplomacy in France turning the tide of The American Revolution. Through Franklin's diplomacy, ultimately convincing the French to support America with money, arms, troops, and their navy, France gave America the necessary resources to decisively defeat the world's superpower, England, in order to gain independence.
Yes, the man paid the sacrifice and he exhibited belief, but what really sets Benjamin Franklin apart is his conviction to the American cause of independence.
This conviction solidified his greatness, which echoes throughout the fabric of time.
Without Benjamin Franklin's conviction, and ability to win France's support, it can be argued the American colonists may not have prevailed against England.
What Price are you Willing to Pay for Greatness?
As we can see from the examples of these three individuals who achieved true greatness, greatness is a much more elusive achievement beyond success.
All of these historical figures were successful, and additionally, each of them took their success further by their extraordinary fulfillment of the three requirements for greatness:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
As we have seen, success is only the first step on the road to greatness.
The biggest question is, once you achieve your definition of success, are you willing to increase your level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction to pursue greatness?
If so, you may be among those few in history who achieve true greatness.
You may be like Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, or Benjamin Franklin, and your pursuit of greatness may positively affect billions of other people, as well as all of society forever.
Realize you may never know within your lifetime how many lives you may ultimately influence. ...but know that if you decide to pursue greatness, your life may have a ripple effect on the world that lives in perpetuity throughout the ocean of time.
If you resolve to start your pursuit of greatness, if you are willing to sacrifice, if you are strong in your belief, and take this belief to the level of true conviction, know that you can achieve greatness!
The question is: what do you want from your time in this world? Do you want success, or do you want to dedicate your life to the pursuit of greatness?
Either way, Mentor Me can help you design your blueprint, provide the tools necessary to achieve success, and guide you on your journey in pursuit of true greatness, if that is the dream you choose to pursue...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
In my last post I wrote about the "Three Keys to Success," namely:
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
If you have not read that post already, you can access it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
So what is the difference between success and greatness?
Success is very personal; everyone has their own definition of what constitutes success. For example, some people may have set financial goals, like accumulating a certain amount of money, attaining a specific level of annual income, or achieving complete financial freedom.
For others success may be creating a non-profit organization for a definitive cause in order to help others.
Someone else may measure success as channeling all their Time (T) and Energy (E) into the mastery of the arts, music, literature, a particular sport, etc...
In this way, success is a very individualized and personalized experience that has a different definition from one person to another. Since we all have divergent goals in life, therefore, success is subjective in the eye of the beholder; as such, success to you may not necessarily be seen as success by someone else.
Greatness takes success to an entirely different level and order of magnitude. In contrast to success, which is measured internally, true greatness is measured externally by its impact on society as a whole.
For some, their ultimate measure of success may be to attain greatness. For this reason, in addition to helping people achieve their definition of success, elements and exercises are incorporated into the design of Mentor Me to help people achieve greatness, if that is their personal ambition.
What are the Requirements to Achieve Greatness?
The first step in achieving greatness is to attain success. In addition to that, the ultimate fulfillment of true greatness necessitates an extraordinarily higher level of three further requirements, namely:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
Greatness is defined by public recognition of the value of ones contributions to society, and therefore, true greatness is a bit more elusive to obtain than success.
Yes, success requires a degree of these three requirements above, but if your ultimate vision is to achieve greatness in life, you will have to take your personal sacrifice, belief, and conviction to an even higher level once you have reached success.
Let's look at three people in history who I think we can all agree realized true greatness.
Each of these individuals exhibited an extraordinary level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction in their lives, above and beyond their initial achievement of success.
Nevertheless, I will highlight one of these specific requirements over the other two, as I explore these individuals who exemplify greatness.
Sacrifice: Nikola Tesla
When I think of sacrifice , I think of Nikola Tesla. It can be argued that Tesla's work has touched virtually every man, woman, and child in the modern world.
His work with alternating current (with Westinghouse), including the very public opposition of Thomas Edison's direct current structure, eventually led to the adoption of alternating current as the more efficient world standard for electricity production and distribution.
Nikola Tesla sacrificed everything for his work. He was estranged from his family in Croatia and he never married. In fact, it is said he may never have had any romantic relationships in his life; he believed celibacy was important to keep him focused on his work.
Later on in life, as documented by a reporter, Tesla remarked, "Sometimes I feel that by not marrying, I made too great a sacrifice to my work ..."
When Tesla died, he was found by a maid in the Hotel New Yorker in New York City, alone, penniless, and in debt.
I was thinking about Tesla when I penned the quote, "Some journeys in life can only be traveled alone."
For this reason, this quote is portrayed with a photo of Nikola Tesla, which you can see here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
His life unfolds as a story of sacrifice and tragedy. One of his brothers died when he was only five years old, a prolonged nine month battle with cholera almost killed him multiple times, he never graduating from his university due to his gambling addiction and disagreements with his professor, he had many public fights with his one time mentor, Thomas Edison, he lost various patents when he was ousted from the first company he founded, and he had to resort to digging ditches just to survive at one point in his life.
Tesla sacrificed for his scientific work, for which he received great recognition. His success was so highly regarded by the scientific community during his lifetime, that it is said he was considered for a joint Nobel Prize with his nemesis Thomas Edison.
Tesla's greatness is immortalized by his many scientific awards, the impact of his work on society, the Tesla unit named after him (world standard unit for the measurement of magnetic flux density), Tesla Day in his native nation of Croatia, his photo gracing the cover of Time Magazine, an airport named after him, various planetary objects with his namesake, museums, his face on stamps and money, etc...
Throughout his life, Tesla exhibited all three of the requirements necessary for greatness; it was not just dependent on his personal sacrifice, he also had an extraordinary belief and conviction in his abilities, as well as the importance of his work.
Having said that, I see Tesla's life as the epitome of sacrifice.
Tesla was literally married to his work.
As a result, his contributions to the world earned him a level of greatness which transcends time.
Belief: Steve Jobs
When I think of the word belief , I think of Steve Jobs. What best defines his contributions to the world, technology, and the impact of his inventions on the average person, is Steve Jobs' belief. The driving force behind his achievements is his belief he could take complex technologies, make them fun, simple to use, and deliver this experience to the average person.
This belief permeated all the innovations Steve Jobs created. Jobs certainly sacrificed for his belief and vision of creating new, innovative, and intuitively easy-to-use technological products for the masses.
We need to look no further than his public dispute with the board of Apple to catch a glimpse into his sacrifices. One can't imagine what he must have been feeling when he was ousted from Apple in September 1985, the company he founded, due to his disagreements with Apple's Board of Directors.
Even at that point in his life, if he had just walked away from technology and business, he still would have achieved a staggering level of personal and professional success.
What makes Steve Jobs truly great is the fact he continued to pursue his core belief and create new, innovative products which never existed previously. He dreamed up these complex electronic devices, then designed them to be fun and intuitively user-friendly for the average person time and time again.
To me, Steve Jobs is the epitome of the word belief.
Of course, he also had the conviction to make his belief and vision come true.
There is no doubt, Steve Jobs had an unprecedented impact on the everyday lives of billions of people around the world. The user-friendly technologies he invented makes his greatness truly legendary.
Conviction: Benjamin Franklin
So what is the difference between belief and conviction?
Belief can change over time, but conviction is unwavering belief on steroids. Conviction is the unconditional faith that moves mountains, to paraphrase the Bible.
When I think of conviction, I think of Benjamin Franklin.
Yes, Benjamin Franklin also sacrificed much for his greatness. His own son, who Benjamin Franklin adored as his beloved companion early in his life, chose to side with England during The Revolutionary War. This created a painfully tragic rift between Benjamin Franklin and his son that was never repaired in their lifetime.
As the chief diplomat for the American colonies in England, France, and then again in England after The Revolutionary War, he spent a great deal of his life separated from his wife. In fact, he was in England when his wife died of a stroke in 1774. He later returned to America only after his work was done, in 1775.
Benjamin Franklin was the equivalent of an iconic celebrity, debutante, and rock star, all rolled into one in his day. He was a successful author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat known throughout the world.
He is one of those rare individuals who actually achieves greatness within his own lifetime.
What stands out for me the most though, is Benjamin Franklin's conviction. As mentioned earlier, belief can be changed; early in his life, Benjamin Franklin was loyal to England. This belief began to change as England flexed its muscles over the American colonists.
The final change for Benjamin Franklin, turning his belief into conviction for American independence, resulted from the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. After this event, England's Privy Council summoned Benjamin Franklin into their court where they put him on "trial," verbally and publicly humiliating him.
Historians say Benjamin Franklin walked into that meeting with the belief in England and the American colonists reconciling their differences, but walked out with the conviction that independence from England was the only viable solution for America.
Benjamin Franklin biographer, Edwin S. Gaustaud, in his book, Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America, would write the following in reference to this meeting:
"He now referred to England as 'this old rotten state' and its ministers as the very embodiment of 'extreme corruption.' Why should the colonies any longer consider union with Britain as a great good to be pursued, he wondered. 'I apprehend, therefore,' he wrote to Joseph Galloway, a Philadelphia friend on February 18, 1774, 'that to unite us intimately will only be to corrupt and poison us also.'
To Charles Thomson, another friend, Franklin wrote four days after his 'trial' that those who berated him had the never to claim 'soveignty over three millions of virtuous, sensible people in America,' but in fact 'appeared to have scarce discretion enough to govern a herd of swine.'
These strong words came from a man of gentle wit who usually practiced conciliation and compromise. But not after his humiliating experience before the Privy Council in January 1774."
From Franklin's own words, his belief in compromise gave way to a new belief, and deep-rooted conviction for the need of American independence from England.
Benjamin Franklin is later credited with his diplomacy in France turning the tide of The American Revolution. Through Franklin's diplomacy, ultimately convincing the French to support America with money, arms, troops, and their navy, France gave America the necessary resources to decisively defeat the world's superpower, England, in order to gain independence.
Yes, the man paid the sacrifice and he exhibited belief, but what really sets Benjamin Franklin apart is his conviction to the American cause of independence.
This conviction solidified his greatness, which echoes throughout the fabric of time.
Without Benjamin Franklin's conviction, and ability to win France's support, it can be argued the American colonists may not have prevailed against England.
What Price are you Willing to Pay for Greatness?
As we can see from the examples of these three individuals who achieved true greatness, greatness is a much more elusive achievement beyond success.
All of these historical figures were successful, and additionally, each of them took their success further by their extraordinary fulfillment of the three requirements for greatness:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
As we have seen, success is only the first step on the road to greatness.
The biggest question is, once you achieve your definition of success, are you willing to increase your level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction to pursue greatness?
If so, you may be among those few in history who achieve true greatness.
You may be like Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, or Benjamin Franklin, and your pursuit of greatness may positively affect billions of other people, as well as all of society forever.
Realize you may never know within your lifetime how many lives you may ultimately influence. ...but know that if you decide to pursue greatness, your life may have a ripple effect on the world that lives in perpetuity throughout the ocean of time.
If you resolve to start your pursuit of greatness, if you are willing to sacrifice, if you are strong in your belief, and take this belief to the level of true conviction, know that you can achieve greatness!
The question is: what do you want from your time in this world? Do you want success, or do you want to dedicate your life to the pursuit of greatness?
Either way, Mentor Me can help you design your blueprint, provide the tools necessary to achieve success, and guide you on your journey in pursuit of true greatness, if that is the dream you choose to pursue...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
