65th Edition
I recently decided to take a break from reading books about WWII. It will only be temporary, because I remain fascinated and eager to learn all I can about this extraordinary time, without question, the most important event in the 20th century. But I just need a short break. I’m going to spend some time reading biographies of famous athletes. I recently finished a wonderful biography of John Unitas by Tom Callahan and have just started one about Red Grange. Waiting in the wings are stories about Pete Maravich, Jim Brown, Sydney McLaughlin, and Red Auerbach. I’m not really a baseball guy, but I also have unread biographies of Henry Aaron, Mickey Mantle, and Roberto Clemente, in my ever-expanding library.
I’ve always enjoined biographies, especially of the most accomplished people in history, like Lincoln, Einstein, Lindbergh and Sir Edmund Hillary. While reading these amazing stories, I always seem to wonder… Is greatness predestined in only a select few or is it in all of us, waiting to be revealed by extraordinary circumstances? How many kids playing sandlot baseball could have been another Mantle, had circumstances been different? What is it within these great individuals that led them to immortality? Virtually all of them had rivals who were as talented and worked just as hard as they did. Were they just luckier than the others? Is there a common thread from which any individual longing for greatness can find inspiration?
It seems that in most of these remarkable journeys, greatness comes not without relentless sacrifice. Each individual eventually faces the question – Are the sacrifices worth it? The singular focus, the obsession that blocks out everything else. Is it worth it in the end? Serious biographies address these questions and the struggles to answer them are a big part of each unique story.
For those who never come close to prominence, a singular focus can allow them to discover their true calling, the meaning and purpose in their own life. But like the list of those who have achieved undeniable greatness, the list of those who have discovered their true calling is very short. Distractions always seem to get in the way and life is full of them. Today, people tend to be overcommitted, burdened with tasks that add little meaning or joy to life. We’ve mastered multi-tasking, but miss opportunities for deep thought and reflection as we race from one stressed-out day to the next. Time, somehow, moves slower for those who are locked in on achieving one, prodigious goal.
The quest for greatness always begins with a dream. Where do these dreams come from? Does everyone have them or only some people? I wrote a poem about dreams once, called – Don’t let them go. Here it is…
Don’t let them go
Remember back to a younger day
when dreams defined your world of play.
A powerful faith within your soul,
brought to life each special role.
Visions of greatness your guiding light,
for which to pray with all thy might.
Then life unfolds for all to see,
and childhood dreams begin to flee.
You might wonder why that’s so,
but take my advice, don’t let them go.
Don’t let them go, those childhood dreams,
they’re more important than they seem.
Somewhere, some young person is dreaming today of doing something no one has ever done. Or maybe just becoming the next Henry Aaron or Albert Einstein. Will they be focused enough, or will they be too distracted? What can we do to help them believe in their dream and pursue it with every ounce of their being?
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.