Why You May be Falling Short of Greatness

Did you ever hear that quote, “jack of all trades, but master of none.”?  Well that was the story of my life growing up…..I was good at EVERYTHING!  While that may sound like I am lucky, OR, like I am conceited; it is quite the opposite of both.  Being good at EVERYTHING, I quickly realized that I was GREAT at NOTHING, which ultimately manifested as feeling not good enough for ANYTHING or ANYONE, including myself.   

At the beginning of this realization, I became determined, focused, and obsessed with being GREAT at something….ANYTHING!  I obsessed over basketball, running, roller blading, writing, art, being skinny, etc.  This determined and focused effort would quickly subside and I would move right onto my next obsession, which I naively believed was sure to be THE ONE.  Many obsessions and years later, I gave up.  I decided that I was not capable of greatness, which lead me down a dark path of alcohol and drug abuse, cutting, eating disorders, and you get the distorted picture.  Basically, I delved into trying to be GREAT at destroying myself, and when I couldn’t even succeed at that, I felt destined to be mediocre.  

AND THEN…cue the trumpets, the glitter, and a whole lot of heart eye emoji’s…..I discovered the practice of yoga.  For the first time in my life, my heart heard truth.  For the first time in my life, I was ALL IN, and for the first time in my life, I understood WHY I couldn’t be GREAT at any of the above mentioned….because NONE of that was aligned with my hearts’ purpose.

To to be proficient at something we need to practice that something.  Yet, there is so much unpacking of the idea of practice, for all practice is NOT created equal.  It seems to me, that before we waste our time practicing ANYTHING, we should have a good reason for practicing it….meaning: there is thought, intention, and substance behind WHAT we are doing, HOW we are doing it and most importantly, WHY we are doing it.  

Which is exactly where I fell short so many times in my past…because being GREAT just to be GREAT lacks the actual GREATNESS.  You see, there are necessary components that lie within greatness that must be present in order to actually BE GREAT.  Just like whole, organic, ingredients MUST be used to create a delectable meal.  Passion, authenticity, and whole hearted intention are the ingredients poured into the foundation of GREAT.  And without these components you get GOOD, you get to be Jack.  And I can promise you that Jack will NOT make it through the obstacle course of distractions that will most certainly show up in whatever arena and discipline your practice is being practiced.  

So next time Jack shows up at your door and tries to convince you that he knows how to fix the plumbing in the bathroom, call a professional, and turn YOUR precious attention back to the practice in YOUR life that speaks to YOUR heart and aligns with YOUR purpose.

Remember:

You are BEAUTIFUL, WHOLE, and ALWAYS ENOUGH.