Greatness Is Being Consistently Good

For those of us who are ambitious, and who want to make the most out of life, we’re each seeking our own form of greatness. We know that we’re capable of making an impact that the average person isn’t. We feel inspired to give to the world in ways most people can’t.

But how does someone know that they’ve achieved greatness? Does it come from reaching the mountain top of a life-defining accomplishment? Or is it a way of being that needs to be earned and maintained every single day?

Greatness is defined as “the quality or state of being exceptionally outstanding, important, or distinguished”. This suggests that it’s both accolade-driven and a reflection of the present. The way to greatness, and addressing both of those criteria, is by being consistently good.

What does it mean to be consistently good? It means that you operate with quality. That your average level of performance or output is significant. When that’s the case you provide the raw inputs that materialize into noteworthy results. Achievements come for being consistently good.

And as for the present moment, it’s hard to justify someone’s greatness when they’ve let their guard down, they lose their edge, and their standard starts to slip. Someone’s present actions need to align with their good reputation, or else they’ll be viewed as the type of person that “used to be great”.

But most of us are still on the come up, earning our way to greatness, and to that I’d add this perspective: The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn’t a mistake. If you feel a deep burn to maximize your potential but you’re still not as far along as you thought you would be by now, there’s a reason for it. Either you aren’t doing the right things, you’re not doing the right things consistently enough, or you need to be patient and let things materialize. 

Greatness takes time, and the question you should be asking yourself is “Am I creating the right conditions for greatness? If that answer isn’t a confident yes, and you’re ready to bridge the gap between who you are and who you know you can be, then this is the perfect place to start.

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