TRUE GREATNESS NEEDED

The late Nelson Mandela whose spirit lives on with us to be the shining light that he was, was indeed the epitome of true greatness.

RISING TO INCREASINGLY HIGHER LEVELS OF TRUE GREATNESS in a natural and powerful way is really needed today in our homes, in companies, organizations, communities and our entire world. Both our lives and our world need to be improved in such a way that we can relax more, have personal and professional or business relationships that have far greater integrity and kindness, have much more joy and spirit in all that we think, emote, say and do.

Life can be so much easier and filled with grace. We can be so much more awesome, both individually and collectively – without the strife and the need to prove. We need to step away from many things that the world has come to glorify or even worship. There is a need to really understand what is True Greatness, which stems from within and demonstrates real courage, tenacity, nobility of character, integrity, a love for humanity (for the collective and not just the individual), a higher intelligence or wisdom, creativity or innovation, a diligence or devotion to a cause that one is passionate about and gifted to champion, etc.

As the truly great Nelson Mandela is quoted to say at his 90th birthday dinner celebration in London in 2008, “The world remains beset by so much suffering, poverty and deprivation. It is in your hands to make of our world a better one for all, especially the poor, vulnerable and marginalised.”  We have said our goodbyes to this magnificent soul and his spirit lives on with us to be the shining light that he was.

Pressure Cooker vs Return to True Greatness

But it is not just the obviously poor, vulnerable and marginalized that we need to help.  Right now, in the so-called civilized world, we mostly all live in a pressure cooker. I came across an article posted on Facebook about a young copywriter who worked for an advertising agency. She worked for 3 days non-stop, with the help of an energy drink, fell into a coma after that and died. On the other hand, it has been reported that snow has been falling in the Middle East and North Vietnam, a phenomenal occurrence, reflecting global climatic change.

And I learnt in the last two weeks an ancient science-based breathing technique that is new to me. It seems that people breathe too much, meaning that we are moving towards hyperventilating rather than needing less breaths because we are relaxed. And I am unlearning the way people have come to breathe, and allowing my body to breathe the way it originally knows how to, as babies do. Breathing the way we do now because of stress leads to a deterioration of the body and illness. We have the possibility, in fact the capability to be totally healthy when it’s time to die. We do not need to go through diseases and pain ravaging our bodies and can instead, simply close our eyes and allow our spirits to leave the physical shells that are no longer needed.

So, basically, we need to learn to live. All of us. I have a simple vision of how I can contribute towards helping people to live greater lives by accessing their own greatness. Firstly, I am touching one person or a group of people at a time through my life coaching, executive coaching and corporate coaching and facilitating programs. And even when I create online products to reach more people, if it stops there, the contribution towards global transformation would be minute and slow, on that level. However, the leverage lies in how I impact people.

Stepping Up to Our Greatness

Some time ago, as I went through my own journey of challenges and hardship coupled with joy and success, I realized that working on my own transformation is the biggest form of contribution I could make, as I continuously stepped up to increasingly higher levels of being and greatness. Simultaneously, I realized that everyone is capable of doing the same, that greatness is an intrinsic part of who we are, that in fact it is who we REALLY are.

My job, therefore, is to ignite this greatness in all those who come to me and our organization for coaching; and to provide tools and strategies for them to allow this greatness to fully emerge and take charge of them and their lives. When that begins to happen for each person, he/she/they will spontaneously go on to contribute hugely (or to whatever extent that resonates with them) in a way that is relevant to them and that they are passionate about. Their own greatness will make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others. And collectively, these people along with others who have risen to their own greatness in other ways, perhaps also touched and taught/coached/mentored by others will contribute to the transformation of our world.

The amazing neuroscientist Dr Carl Hart is an Associate Professor at Columbia University, the author of the book “High Price” and a wonderful example of true greatness, which is inherent in all of us but lies dormant in many, waiting to be awakened and utilized.

Our systems need to change

Our systems and the way we operate need to change, within ourselves personally and in all aspects of our world. I was very encouraged to chance upon articles and videos featuring a man called Dr. Carl Hart whom Gabriel Grand in an article describes as defying “all preconceptions of the word ‘neuropsychopharmacologist’. With thick dreadlocks that dangle well below his shoulders, a penchant for studded earrings, and a gold incisor that flashes when he grins, Hart, 47, was the only black man in America to receive a Ph.D in neuroscience in 1996 upon completing his doctorate at the University of Wyoming.”

Grand is quick to add, “Though he continues to break Ivy League stereotypes as Columbia University’s first tenured African-American science professor, Hart shakes the foundations of his field in a much more significant way than race: His research suggests that for the last three decades, law enforcement, politicians, and the media have been lying to Americans about the dangers of cocaine, methamphetamines, and other illegal drugs.”

In an interview with Columbia College Today, Hart is reported to say, “I am here to tell you, drugs are not the bogeyman that people said they were.” His book “High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society” is aimed at exactly that: debunking myths around drugs, championing decriminalization and education, and providing solutions to current challenges that the American system presents… We need more people who’d stand up and speak out to debunk all kinds of myths we uphold and provide solutions to the way our world currently operates.

Wonderful Example of True Greatness

Hart is an amazing man and a wonderful example of someone who found his own greatness and is letting that greatness lead him and others, someone who is massively contributing towards making the necessary transformation to the way our world operates. He was from a family of eight children, who as Grand describes, was “being juggled between the care of his mother and other female relatives while fearing outbursts of domestic violence” and “recalls slacking in school, getting involved with marijuana (using it and selling it), and committing petty crimes”. And he turns his life around through sport and academia, and talks about learning to be a critical thinker.

He is certainly applying his critical thinking in a hugely positive way but prior to the thinking must have come the inner coherence that transcended what must have been a whole lot of inner conflict with the background he had, growing up in one of the worst neighborhoods of Miami, pretty much having to fend for himself and being part of a drug and petty crime scene. It is clear that, very often, when our lives are meant to be devoted to contributing in a particular area, we will be given the relevant experience for us to firstly, go through the pain and struggle associated with that area, to then come out of it whole and successful, and share with others what we have learnt from it, all along the way.

What was your pain and struggle? What is your area of growth, what odds have you successfully gone beyond and thrived? What are you wildly or even mildly passionate about?

Our Path of Greatness or Invincibility

Our journey, our path of growth then becomes our Path of Invincibility, which leads us to our own greatness and to share that greatness with everyone who’s interested. I’ve grown on my own journey, during which a great deal of challenges were self-imposed or soul-led in recent years, with the prime purpose of deliberately taking myself to the highest possible levels of being, so that I can authentically and powerfully take others to theirs. And, of course, so that they can, in turn, share their greatness with the world around them, each in their own special way, to whatever extent resonates with them.

I therefore created a foundational coaching program called The Path of The Invincible™, which I then tailor for both life coaching and executive coaching clients, both individually and in groups. Greatness or invincibility, undeniably lies in each and everyone of us. It is merely a question of whether life presents opportunities to allow this greatness to emerge and flourish, or whether you, yourself will willingly step forward and step up to claim it, regardless of whether you’ve had the advantage of hardship or you’ve been inordinately blessed. My Associate Coaches around the world and I are here to support you on this courageous and highly rewarding path.

You have been called! The world needs you and your true greatness…

Written by Helen Lee, Veteran Life Coach, Executive Coach, Workshop & Corporate Facilitator