Pursuing Greatness: A Perspective and Reminder

While pursuing greatness, we often enjoy small victories, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. We bask in the recognition received, then search for more of the same. We keep thinking greatness is right around the corner, that it will come with a championship trophy, owning a successful business, creating an influential work of art, or a scientific discovery. We keep searching for the opportunity of a lifetime that portrays significance, notoriety, or authority.

There is a biblical parable about a rich fool that warns us of the missteps that often come with success. This man produced years of bumper crops, so much that he didn't know what to do with all he had accumulated. He replaced his scant barns with bigger ones to stockpile his grain surplus and continue accumulating wealth. Then, he reasoned he could take life easy—eat, drink, and be merry.

Often, we think this story has no personal application, assuming we aren’t rich and that this only applies to millionaires and billionaires. Our perspective is usually flawed because we don’t understand what it means to be poor compared to our view of wealth. We don’t realize if we have food on the table, clothes, a place to live, and an automobile, we are considered among the world’s wealthy. Studies suggest an adult with as little as $3,000 is among the most affluent in the world. The elites, Hollywood stars, executives, or professional athletes aren’t the only ones who are rich. The reality is—we are too! It’s simply a matter of perspective and our definition of “rich.”

The second misunderstanding is thinking we aren’t fools. Are we any different from those we consider to be rich? Do we keep our wealth to ourselves? Are our barns any different from those who have more than us? Do our barns get filled with each check we deposit?

The dilemma is we work hard to get ahead, provide a good life for our family, and save for a rainy day. All of this is right and good. But as our fortune grows, so do the requirements to use our resources for good purposes. The story of the rich fool isn’t simply about money, nor is it meant to discourage anyone from seeking wealth. It’s about our perspective and how we utilize our time and talents, being steadfast in helping others and striking a balance between personal gain and sharing with those less fortunate.

Our pursuit of greatness will not be measured by what we gather but by what we give. Our legacy will not be remembered for the things we achieved but for the lives we touched along the way.

Join my email list and invite your friends to receive these weekly messages by signing up at www.bobbykocol.com/blog and gaining more insights into my book Diamonds, Deals, and Divine Guidance.