September 1. “People were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.” (Zig Ziglar)

All of us have within us the seeds and abilities to be great at something. Some people are lucky, and they discover their calling to be great at an early age. They work hard and pursue that dream and shine early. Others struggle to find their niche, their place to make a mark. Sadly, a few never really find that special place to shine. One of the keys to finding greatness in my life is discovering and nurturing the seeds, and helping them germinate into my own special skills and abilities.

I am not sitting here saying that I am “great” at anything by some external measure. To me, this greatness is about fulfillment. It is about that feeling I get when I have accomplished something, or reached a level of skill that I had previously only dreamed of. To me, this measure of greatness comes from within.

I am a believer that we all can define our own success in our lives, and then work to reach that level. That definition is and should be different for everyone. I think that a lot of conflict in a person’s life arises when they try to shape themselves into someone else’s definition of success. I have seen many people struggle at jobs they didn’t like, or in courses of education that didn’t suit them because someone said they “should” go down a particular path. Only when they found their true calling, and spent their time and effort in that direction, did they find the fulfillment that leads to their greatness.

Where I live, school starts tomorrow. In many places, and for most college age students, it started in the last week or two. This is a good time of year to take stock in what the students in our lives are pursuing. Are they headed where their own natural talents, abilities and dreams are leading them? Or are they shoehorned into someone else’s dream of their success? We best support those around us when we encourage them in the direction of their dreams, not ours.

We are all engineered for success, and designed for accomplishment. We need only to find where those seeds of greatness will take us, and dedicate ourselves to that path.