The Greatness Within

Who here wants to be mediocre? No-One!  Everyone is really living for the ultimate, it's greatness or bust, meaning and truth! What is gumming up the works, preventing us from accomplishing more of this in our lives? Everything we do is driven by this desire for greatness, but we are greatly challenged at exactly how to achieve it and unfortunately, more often, we don't have a clue at how to scratch it.

Society itself as a collective entity paints a vivid picture of what success, greatness and happiness is. Media offers us the bait, it communicates to us the pathway to be somebody. It's sweet, attractive and pretty. Who wouldn't want it?

This success picture contains a certain echelon of the types of jobs we should have, salaries we should make, a life style we should live. This includes: the type of car we drive, how geographically desirable the house is, what amenities it has, the stuff we buy, the restaurants we eat at, even how sexy and attractive the girl we date or marry. All together, these are external trappings of life that presents a false illusion of greatness. If only I had the job, salary, girl then I will be happy, then I will be successful. And if I don't have these things in my life, I am seen a loser. All of these things exist outside of myself - I seek them to complete myself and satisfy the desire for greatness.

My holy and loving friends, the world of nature that society and the world exist in has us looking in the wrong direction. Nothing outside ourselves can help me validate and affirm my greatness -in fact it will ultimately keep me insecure. Yeah it could be for a time I will feel great with this job and this girl, this bag or pair of shoes etc but what happens they aren't there any more. I remain with myself. The lures of my outer eyes ultimately will let me down every time.

Our greatness is within - We've been looking in the wrong direction.We don't need to work so hard, we just have to be. Comfortable in our own skin, relaxed and natural. Greatness is not made over night but Hashem wants to help us when we reach the little "I" not the illusory "I" that society is selling. Self acceptance is the pathway to seeing one's true self. Forgiveness of one's self is the same pathway. We are absolutely perfect in our imperfectness. As Rabbi Aaron says we should be called human becoming not human beings. Just be yourself and that is okay!

Greatness is already inside we just have to uncover it. Nothing out there will help you. Only humility to be one's self and Hashem will do the rest. Lastly a riddle to help concretize the idea.

2 people have a million dollars but only one of them is truly a millionaire. What's the answer? One inherited the million dollars and one earned the million. If they both loose their million dollars only one of them has a chance to earn it back. The one who earned a million dollars. You see the one who inherited had a million dollars but it was external to who he is, it never became a part of who he is but the one who earned a million dollars is truly a millionaire if he has the million dollars in his pocket or not. Through his work, he developed himself and grew into someone who does what it takes. He takes himself with him wherever he goes.

Be no-one but yourself - no-one is more gorgeous than you. Ask Hashem if you don't believe me!