I have been looking forward to having at least three days personal retreat where I can reflect on my life and the big dreams I am about to venture into; I want to be sure that my ambition is not the driving force; I want to be sure that I heard my inner witness correctly and I am suppose to venture into this new world ahead of me. Today, I happen to find myself alone with no distraction whatsoever and decided to maximize it. As I laid down on the bed thinking, the title of this piece struck me - ‘everyone was born to be great; it was your choice to remain small.
You were born the same way I was born; there was no special difference. You either came out naturally while your mother was being asked to push or you came out through cutting a part of your mother’s tummy – in any case you were born. This means that we all have a shot at greatness in life. Although some were born into riches while others into poverty but riches do not make people great, choices do.
Muhammed Ali had won four titles when he was drafted in America as part of the people to be trained as soldiers for the ongoing war. He refused to be part of the war based on his faith and personal convictions; his religion does not permit him to kill and go to war. As a result he was stripped of all the titles he has won, he was not able to work and make money for four years, and he was going to be sent to jail. At that time his refusal to be drafted to war means he has broken the law.
Let us do a bit of reasoning together, if Muhammed Ali had accepted to be drafted and gone to war he would most likely have been killed, maimed, or left psychologically imbalanced forever; that means we would not have been able to refer to him as the greatest boxer on earth. In his speeches he wasn’t shy about calling himself the greatest but he was aware that talking the talk won’t make him the greatest but acting the part by making quality decisions in life. Every decision you make in life will either make you a great man or leave you a small man. The quality of your decisions today will determine the quality of your life eventually. For instance, you can either marry a potential president today or marry a potential prisoner – it all depends on the choice of who you choose to marry today; the irony of the matter is that we do not have an idea of what the future holds and as a result we make bad choices but if you are smart you will analyze your choices today before you make them because they have the potency to either make you great or make you small.
Greatness is a choice and it is obvious in everything you do daily. Nelson Mandela decided to serve as President of South Africa for only one term and as a result he became the greatest icon in our world. My father decided to marry my mother and he ended up having four children from a broken home. Every choice you make will either leave a dent on your future or make your future awesome. Make great choices in your everyday life. You must ask yourself if the decision you are about to make has been carefully analyzed and will have a positive or a negative influence on your greatness while leaving sentiments aside; If you are sentimental about destiny decisions you will be sentenced to the den common men and am sure you don’t want that.
See you tomorrow!
I am Gabriel Olatunji ‘Legend’ and I am committed to inspiring you to greatness. Follow on Twitter: @OLATUNJISPEAKS | Email: olatunjispeaks@gmail.com
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