To me, being great is taking what you were born with and creating the best possible life for yourself and others that you possibly can. It means not perpetuating victimization in yourself and being realistic about where you stand in society. It means being willing to do the work you don't want to do. It means having integrity, doing the right thing when nobody is looking. Doing the right thing because you're a moral person with values, because you feel responsibility towards yourself and to those around you. It means adding more than you take. Its being proud of your positives and aware of your negatives. Its vibrating at a high frequency, making people feel safe and comfortable around you. Its not making excuses for your poor behavior. Its doing the best you can with the knowledge you have at any given moment. Its being realistic about your capabilities. Its having your priorities in order. Its transcending, not the fear of death, but the inevitably of it. Its needing to leave a legacy. Its making a name for yourself, not because you like being famous or admired, but because you find it that important to be the example of what a human being should be. Its being a good team player. Its having a soft but firm heart. Its intellectual curiosity, always remaining teachable. It doesn't mean not having an ego, but its the desire and action taken to mitigate that piece of you in order to not cause friction in your own life and others. Its having faith. Its constantly seeking and thinking about how you can BECOME greater than you already are-being great isn't something you're born with. Talent is not greatness. Not even the most talented, famous, and admired people are necessarily great. Talent is in your DNA. Greatness is not letting faulty DNA become an excuse to live less than your best life. Its being kind to everybody, unless and until they give you a big reason not to-and even then,having the maturity to hope the best for them because you understand their negative existence has nothing to do with you, and is probably really painful for them. Its seeing the dignity and worth in all living things, and not doing things to knowingly harm that life. Greatness is changing your behavior in accordance with whatever knowledge you may gain. Its the opposite of hypocrisy. Its being authentic, and true to yourself. Its putting yourself before others in most situations because you understand that you are useless to others if you are not living to your fullest potential. Its putting yourself first in a selfless way, not a selfish way. Its understanding that health is wealth. Its speaking up for what is right, whether you're scared to do so or not. Its letting the desire to create an ideal life be stronger than any fear you may have, then letting that guide your actions. Its persevering. Its not taking things for granted, but instead giving thanks with a grateful heart. Its doing what you can to get yourself closer and closer to self-actualization. Individuation. Greatness doesn't require you never falling short of your own ideals, but it does mean that you hold yourself accountable when you realize you've made a mistake. Its not using the excuse that you’re young or were young. Its honor. Its being vulnerable. Its always working to change yourself to fix your circumstances instead of using circumstances as an excuse as to why your life is too tough to change. Its going to work every day no matter how you feel physically or emotionally, unless you going to work will affect other people negatively or if there is somebody that can and wants to do a better job in your absence. Its doing the best job you can at work. Greatness is treating the janitor the same way you treat the CEO, and not making a distinction between the two in terms of their humanity and worth. Its not enabling bad behavior in others out of pity. Its not being afraid to cry. Its acceptance of all human emotion because you understand how beautiful and dignified human life and consciousness is. Its doing the best you can in every attempt you make at anything, even if your best is not very fruitful. Its being gentle with yourself when your labor doesn’t produce what you desired. Its believing that doing your best is crucial to having dignity. Its taking responsibility for your actions. Its not gossiping about people. Its not letting any talents you may have get in the way of seeing how you can improve as a human being. Greatness is wielding power responsibly and dutifully. Its choosing unity in the name of peace and progress over division in the name of personal glory. Its dressing modestly. Its never abusing your sex powers. Its classiness. Its the absence of vanity. Its the ability to give constructive criticism from a place of love instead of pontificating from a self-imagined pedestal. Greatness requires passion and compassion. Its being about what you talk about. It takes grit and relentlessness. Its choosing to be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Its valuing virtue over vice. Its an appreciation for the diversity of life in all forms. Its feeling emboldened by challenge. Never hesitating to act unless wise to do so. Its giving credit where credit is due. Its the instinct to share your happiness with other people. Greatness is understanding that surrender is paradoxically an act of strength and courage. Its relating instead of comparing. Its not allowing yourself to procrastinate. Its sophistication in action. Greatness is handling defeat with grace. Greatness is handling victory with grace. Its seeking to understand rather than to be understood. Its a healthy obsession with self-improvement. Its having vision. Its never wasting your own time or anybody else’s. Its not apologizing more than necessary. If you’re religious, its striving to be the example of what your religion has accomplished in your life, instead of gushing about it verbally to other people. Greatness is understanding the essential role good parenting plays. Its respecting the law of “power in numbers”. Its having the humility to understand that life is bigger than you, and having the self-esteem to not deprecate yourself with that fact. Its being accepting of the fact that not everyone has the same heart you have; And its knowing that this doesn’t make them any less worthy of your love-in fact it makes them more needy of it. Its finding meaning in all aspects of life, from the menial to the exciting and refreshing. Its holding eye contact with people, and using body language to show respect and attentiveness, interest.. Its not wasting words. Its surrounding yourself with people smarter and more capable than yourself, because you would rather be in good company than the smartest guy in the room. Greatness is standing up for yourself, and having a backbone. Its avoiding conflict except when absolutely unavoidable. Its being able to choose to turn your day around at any moment, no matter what is going on in your life, physically or spiritually. Its understanding that pain doesn’t last forever. Its emotional sobriety. Its not putting up pointless fights and squabbles that nobody can win. Its being of service to other people whenever possible. Its never being afraid to go deep. Its open mindedness. Its mindfulness and manners. Its preparing for calamity so that nothing can ever blindside you and knock you off course. Its saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Its the ability to embrace the past, be mindful of the present, and determine whats in your power to create the ideal future-all at the same time. Its presence of mind. Greatness is an energy you give off that subconsciously gives people the permission to explore the greatness in themselves. Its always striving to be proactive, not reactive. Its having the emotional intelligence to react proportionately to a given situation, and not get caught up in emotionalism. Its vigilance. Its pure ambition. Its understanding the importance of sleep and hygiene. Its taking pride in the way you look and how you present yourself. Its not vainly staring into the mirror and checking yourself out. Its doing good things for the right reason, not for selfish needs. Its not needing to tell the world when you do something good. Greatness is the transmutation of the ordinary into the extraordinary. Its the miracle of life. Its raw. Its even palpable. It is evident without the need for explanation or clarification. It is the driving force of all mankind has achieved. Its the hope people reach desperately for in their darkest moments. It has the power to overcome all fear and doubt. Its the essence of everything that comprises a human being. Its why we are the spearhead of evolution. Its why being a human being is the highest honor in the universe. It imbibes us with a sense of purpose. Its exciting and adventurous. Its what gives music its meaning. Its why your life is never hopeless. It gives meaning to death. Its sacrificing for love.