Find Your Greatness

Today I just wanted to share two bits of inspiration with you.  Because I've been rediscovering my discipline in two areas:  writing and running.  And without fail, whenever I get a little discouraged or start to compare myself with one superstar or another, one of these two thoughts will rise to the surface and encourage me to just keep on.

The Find Your Greatness Commercial from the London 2012 Olympics


"Greatness.  It's just something we made up. Somehow we've come to believe that greatness is a gift reserved for a chosen few -- for prodigies, for superstars -- and the rest of us can only stand by watching. You can forget that. Greatness is not some rare DNA strand. It's not some precious thing. Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We're all capable of it. All of us." ~ Find Your Greatness, Nike


The commercial pitch from the movie "What Women Want"
She's running. It's early, it's quiet. Just the sound of her feet on the asphalt. She likes to run alone. No pressure, no stress. This is the one place she can be herself. Look any way she wants, dress, think any way she wants. No game playing, no rules.

Then the commercial starts:


"You don't stand in front of a mirror before a run and wonder what the road will think of your outfit. You don't have to listen to its jokes and pretend they're funny in order to run on it. It would not be easier to run if you dressed sexier. The road doesn't notice if you're not wearing lipstick, does not care how old you are. You do not feel uncomfortable because you make more money than the road. And you can call on the road, whenever you feel like it, whether it has been a day, or even a couple of hours since your last date. The only thing the road cares about is that you pay it a visit once in a while. Nike. No games. Just sports.”

Whether you've hit your stride or you've had a stutter step or two,
Find your greatness today. No games. Just life.