Greatness requires access

To expand on the importance of your institution (See You can’t erase the past), if it is greatness (i.e. innovation, success, etc…) you desire, you need to get access to the resources that will enable you to achieve it. This means being in a location at a moment in time at which there is an intersection of both what the organization is strong at as well as what you perceive your talents to be in. At the end of the day, it’s not so much about the prestige of the institution you’re at, but rather what that institution may offer you in your development. Greatness is rarely achieved at the collegiate level–not never, but rarely. I think it takes a bit of maturity.

In addition to the resources, achieving greatness requires feedback from people around you: both positive and negative. Your peers are also the ones who will grant you access to the goods. It’s important to take all feedback into consideration because, sometimes, those that are critical could be more valuable than those that praise you. As my parents used to tell me, they reprimand me because they care. And yet, in the rare case when the child is “better” than the parents, it’s still up to you (the child), the more capable one, to figure out what is inaccurate about the parents’ assessment(s). In other words, greatness does not blame another human being for their shortcomings.

And finally, in achieving greatness, you cannot ignore love. In older times when greatness was more male dominated, there existed a concept of not being able to have both (i.e. love and greatness). Hence, the phrase, “can’t have your cake and eat it too.” However, times are changing, and it’s important to roll with the times. You don’t want to be the only great one who doesn’t have love. It’s not a great feeling.