Poised on the Edge of Greatness Are You? Well then, why….

Why Haven’t You Jumped Yet?

This morning, I woke up to a rather tremendous article entitled:

• This Facebook intern is ‘pissed off for greatness’

To wit:

…At the Facebook London offices, our conference rooms are plastered with posters shipped from the Menlo Park headquarters, commanding us to “move fast and build things.” We are reminded to value “people over pixels” and asked, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” And those aren’t empty words; every single person is held accountable for fulfilling those promises. As an engineer I’ve never been asked to document the monetary effects of my work, but I am challenged to think about how my projects make the world more open and connected.

Looking back on my summer, I’ve pushed code that has already touched 1.1 billion people. I can think of zero other ways that I could have done something so impactful in such minimal time. At Facebook it’s about the people we’ve never met, the places we can’t fathom, and what the world will need when we’re no longer around. It’s not about being good; it’s about being pissed off for greatness….MORE…

Oh wow, did that ever resonate with me!

Back when I was in college, I once debated about what title I’d use if I ever wrote my autobiography.  And I hit on:

Poised on the Edge of Greatness – 22 Years Ago, Greatness Was Born

And all thru the years, I’d simply tack on another year (ie, Decades  ago!  Greatness…was born!).  It became an inside joke among my close friends.

The above article….wow, what memories it brought back.

I vividly remember as well…some people judged me for my “arrogance” or “ego” (how dare you call yourself great?).  I was told:

• Be humble!
• Don’t talk about what you do well!
• How shallow you are!

All because….. I chose to view myself as an extremely awesome person indeed.

But that’s immaterial here….let’s bring this post back to the most important person reading it.   You!

The work you’re doing now…

How does it touch others?

How are you making a difference in the lives of those who follow your authority?

Are you constantly dimming your own light because those you love/respect/etc. *tell* you you should blend into the woodwork?

Are you ignoring opportunities to transform yourself into greatness…simply because others have beaten your ambitions into the ground?

If so….

STOP.

And internalize the following.

The most magnificent sports car is useless without gas.

And when you fail to honor your abilities, you deprive your future success of the energy it desperately *needs* to ascend to the next level.

You owe it to yourself.

And you owe it to the people who look up to you for guidance.

Let your greatness shine forward.

Because nobody has it….exactly like you.

Grow strong,

Barbara Ling