A Heavy Dose of Reality Greatness

“When you first come out of the gate, you feel like a young rock star. You look at the work of other people and think: ‘I can do it better.’ But the more you learn, the more your ego plummets, because you realize that those people had their reasons for everything, and you realize how much work it takes to be great. I was looking through some of my old portfolios, and the execution wasn’t nearly as great as I believed at the time. But there were some pure ideas in there. I had a fearlessness back then that I’d love to rediscover.”

I don't remember a lot of the things I've done in my childhood (strange that I can now officially say that at 19), but the few memories that I can pull out right away tend to be, well, somewhat nonsensical and ok, dumb. 

Like that time when I was four?five? and I really, really wanted to wear my plaid blue dress with the white terrier but mom said no and I cried for forever until she gave in. 

But of course at that point, victory wasn't so satisfactory because I had basically shriveled up into a prune with all the tears that triumph demanded. 

Or the time I cried when my younger sister Michelle beat me at chess even though she had absolutely no idea what she was doing (have yet to live that one down). 

Or the time I accidently stepped on my laptop and tried to hide it (unsuccessfully) for a month. 

Wow. I was a pretty difficult kid. But hey, it could've been worse, right?

But on a more serious note, in between all the hodgepodge foolishness, there are distinct memories that are much more profound and significant. 

Like the time mom was trying to motivate Michelle to practice piano and told her that she was "the best of the best" and could do "anything she put her mind to." Of course mom said this is a much more animated and enthusiastic mom-ish manner but I distinctly remember asking her after (to spare Michelle's feelings) why she said that. Because "Come on, Mom. We all know that that's not true. She's not that good, why bothering telling her that?" 

Two things to note here. First, I was a blunt, coldhearted, harsh kid. But more importantly two, there's nothing I wouldn't do to hear mom say that to me everyday and truly believe it like my no-longer-so-innocent little sister. 

The thing is, when we were the younger, more or less naive versions of ourselves today, there was nothing positive others told us that we would question. We truly, truly believed that we could do anything, and achieve everything, bigger and better than everyone before us. All it took was someone to tell us so, whether or not it was true. 

Unfortunately, age is humbling. We become more knowledgeable and with that knowledge, we also become more skeptical of ourselves. By realizing how much we know, we also realize how much more there is that we don't know. And by being released into the realms of the real world, we are really, maybe, not much better than the average person. So yeah, this all sounds incredibly depressing but what kid didn't grow up believing that he or she would be the next president, the next peacemaker, the next movie star, and be much better off than their parents?

Like the man says in the photograph above, being great takes enormous work and effort and most people won't reach that level of greatness. But you know what? Maybe reality just means that we need to redefine our definition of great because honestly, greatness is relative. And as long as we believe in ourselves, and are happy with what has been accomplished, that's all the greatness anyone will ever need.

So you go, Michelle. Work that piano ;)