Saturday, April 7, 2012

GREATNESS (A-Z April Blog Challenge)

I didn’t recognize it as “greatness” when I was in elementary school.  What I did recognize were the kids around me who stood out.  The ones who made a difference.  They were the athletes, the ones in dance recitals and who won the spelling bee.  They were the students with perfect attendance for the year and who got singled out at the end of the year assembly for their outstanding character. 
They moved onto middle school and talked about being rocket scientists, doctors or lawyers.  They were going to join the Peace Corp and save a village or two along the way.  They were the lead in the school play, the solo in the band concert and played on the sports team a year or two above their actual age.
In high school they were going to be the next Carl Sagan, develop a cure for cancer, or rock the financial world.  They carried 4.0 averages and had their college futures mapped out.  They worked internships and helped the coach manage their sports team.  They were president of the school clubs, student government and active in the leadership of their local church.  In their spare time they volunteered in soup kitchens, raised money for the poor and organized blood drives. 
You get the picture.  They were always moving, always motivated and always making a difference. One step led inevitably to another.   
It was GREATNESS.  They marked their territory in the world and felt no limits. 
And that was great. For them; but not for me.  Because along with that Greatness, came the attention, the recognition and the expectation of it all continuing. I looked at them and felt exhausted.  When would it be enough?  I absolutely applauded what they’d done and admired the initiative, passion and energy it took to do what they did.  I just never felt capable of it and definitely steered clear of anything that made me stand out in a crowd.  I liked doing good things, but in my own way, in my own time and as much behind the scenes as I could.  I got to be quite good at blending into the background – flying under the radar, figuring out how to be me so that I could do good things, just not THAT good. 
Over the years I wondered what drove people and why I felt lacking.  Why didn’t I have the motivation to be doing GREAT things with my life? 
And then, as I became more comfortable with my own self and the life I’d built, the answer came.  Because we’re unique.  We can’t all be Albert Einstein, Mother Theresa, Stephen Hawking, or Joyce Carol Oates.  And no one else can be Amy Morgan.  I’m here to do the best I can at being me.  An organizer, a worker bee, a writer, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend.
William Shakespeare wrote: “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and other have greatness thrust upon them.”
Morgan Greatness in Triplicate!
We all have a measure of Greatness within us.  I’m a loner and I’ve set the boundaries of my life pretty close at hand.  And within those boundaries, I try to do Great things.  To make a difference in the people’s lives I touch.  To be honest, loving and giving.  That’s my Greatness.  And it’s enough.

18 comments:

  1. The nicest part about being the best you there is, is that nobody else can do it better!

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    1. my favorite is the one about barbie-and the one you posted today is holding my interest too! great reads!

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    2. Thank you both and I'm glad you liked the Barbie post as well Rhonda.

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  2. I hop frankly, that my boys can grow up with a similar mind set. Kids now are pushed too hard by their parents toward that greatness. Theycarecso scheduled, that when they have a dull moment they're lost. Boredom can go a long way. If there's no space for dreaming where can any of the imaginative come into play?

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  3. To make a difference--you're right, that is all that matters.

    Look forward to your challenge run…
    --Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  4. Oh, yes. We all have some kind of greatness. We do. Nice post, Amy.

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  5. Greatness comes from knowing what your special gift is and pursuing it with vigor.

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  6. You make a difference in the lives of those around you. That's plenty. Great post.

    Erin

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  7. Very inspirational to be who you are and proud of it! Thanks for messaging me about it.

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  8. Thank you all for taking the time to visit and read. This is becoming quite a process in learning about myself a little more with each blog!

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  9. Yes, Amy, those people you describe make me feel tired and inadequate--how do they do it? Try reading the bios of the Rhodes Scholars some time. But as remarkable as they are, I believe the world also needs the people like us; the introverts, the ones who contemplate, who do the best we can in our own corners of the world. I'm not sure I've found my measure of greatness yet, but I'm still trying. I also think of myself as pretty much a loner and I'm comfortable with that, with my husband and dog, with my reading, writing, and crocheting, and with the little things I try to do in my community. Lovely post!

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    1. In using my measurement of making a difference in people's lives Elaine, you've maxed out the Greatness meter with your mom alone. Your compassion, love and understanding are amazing. (And I won't even mention the impactyou've had on MY life!) :)

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  10. Interesting read. You have a nice voice. Sometimes, I think that if I wrote down all of the things I do in a day, then a week, then looked back after a month or two, I would be astounded at how much I get done. But, you know, people like you and me never do that. We are too busy living, putting one foot in front of the other and taking care of life. Not to diminish the "great" achievements of others, but when it is all tallied, at the end...I suspect that the scales and rules used to measure net worth are not at all what humans think.

    "Greatness" is very subjective :-)

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    1. Thanks for the kind words Teresa. I'm so glad you stopped by!

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  11. I agree with Kathleen above, finding your gift and your passion and then giving it your all. That really is greatness. Your own greatness.

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  12. I love this blog, the quote from Shakespeare you mentioned and your greatness! I am not one to head up a committee...when I try to get roped into something like that, I simply say, "I am just a worker bee." :)

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  13. I love this post and that quote. I was one of those that rushed about doing all those great things in high school and evidently got it out of my system there. Since then I have faded back into the wood work and like aspire to just be a great me and happy with myself. :D

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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  14. Personally, I am SO DONE with the awards for perfect attendance in school. They mean one of two things:

    1) A kid is blessed with an unusually strong immune system - which should be a reward in and of itself. It's not due to any personal merit or effort on the kid's part.

    2) A kid has one of THOSE obnoxious parents who will send him/her to school every day, even if s/he is coming down with something, and infect many more kids and teachers who perhaps won't get over it as fast as little Typhoid Mary. This should be rewarded?

    There's a lot of ways to be great. While there's nothing wrong with curing cancer (and I hope somebody does, someday soon) I think your way of being great is just fine.

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