<b>By Martha Cooper-Hudson</b>

Are some people born destined for greatness and others for mediocrity? Is great success and achievement determined by genetics and inborn talent?

The simple answer is “no.” Greatness can be attained by everyone. We all have the potential to be great. Any man can be great if he makes up his mind to be the best person he can possibly be and to do what he does, the best way he can possibly do it.

The secret to attaining greatness is simply to do every small thing in a great way. It is the nature of all success principles to be overly simplistic and basic. That is what makes them so true and yet so hard to accept and do. Their simplicity means that they often cannot be reduced to any simpler statement. It is like Albert Einstein’s E=MC². It takes a whole lot of thinking and meandering to come up with the principle. But once it is found, it is so obvious and so simple.

So what makes for excellence?  Tiger Woods, for instance, seems to have suddenly shot to fame at age 18 when he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship. Few people realize that by that age he had at least 15 years experience and practice playing golf. That’s not something the press will tell you often. In this fast food, fast service, instant communication world we have been fooled into thinking even success and greatness are instant. They are not. Practice and experience take time and effort.

So what is greatness and why should you work towards greatness? Greatness, I believe, is the ability to be all that you can possibly be and to bring out the very best in yourself consistently to such an extent that you make a lasting mark in the lives of other people and in the world. “Greatness is not standing above our fellows and ordering them around, it is standing with them and helping them to be all they can be,” said Arthur G. Keough.

The potential in every man is such that it cannot be utilized to its full extent without bringing about greatness So as far as why you should work towards greatness is concerned, the simple answer is that you should not work towards greatness as such; instead work towards fulfilling your potential as a human being by performing your simple tasks excellently. Seek to always grow beyond your present barriers and limits and you will inevitably become great.

Meet the challenges you face head-on and take life on with passion and a quest for excellence. Think outside the box, work harder then everyone else, and be the very best at what you do.  The bottom line is hard work and dedication.

It takes no more effort and energy to be great than to be mediocre. It is the application of that effort and energy that matters. You can channel it into more productive pursuits and use of your time or channel it into non-progressive endeavors. If you could buy a Mercedes for the same price as a Toyota, which one would you go for? If you could apply the same amount of energy and effort to greatness as to mediocrity, which would one you go for?

Simple things like reading, working consistently and practice will make all the difference and help you attain greatness in whatever you choose to do. Nothing happens by chance. Greatness isn’t reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone.

God desires that you be great. The Psalmist said of Him: “Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”

Go ahead, I challenge you to be great! Shine bright like a diamond and watch how others will want to follow.