In the small things
I’m going to tell you my biggest secret.
My whole life I’ve wanted to change the world.
There was this book in my house when I was a kid, “50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth“. It included stories about elementary-aged kids saving the rain forest and such through unique fundraising efforts, etc.
I wanted to be one of those kids.
It’s taken my 20 years to realize I am not one of those kids, nor one of those adults.
Everyday I read or interact with people bound for greatness. I read about people like this, who started building their own empire in middle school. I work with people like Karen, that saw a need and fulfilled it.
I’m not going to revolutionize an industry. I’m not going to invent a product that makes life easier or start a movement. I won’t be the authority on a subject or an expert in my field.
I’m not the person to start things.
I’m the person that finishes things. I don’t come up with the ideas – I make them happen. I’m the person that executes. I’m the planner.
I’m not the dreamer. I’m the feet on the ground.
And while this is hard to swallow, it is in no way limiting.
My reach may be small, but it is highly personal. The work I do makes a difference to individuals, not to masses. I’m not quoted, I’m not shared, I’m not the top blog, nor attracting hundreds of followers per day. But I’ll be a part of great things and I’ll be remembered.
So I kind of want to say “fuck it” to the people, books and speeches that insist upon the traditional idea of greatness. Just like college isn’t for everyone, that level of leadership is not in some people’s personalities.
I strive to be the best I can be and that may be in the small things.
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I think you’re right that not everyone makes for the best “big vision” leader, and that there can be absolute greatness in those implementing someone’s vision.
I’m on a national park roadtrip, so the first example that comes to my mind relates to the early National Park Service. The idea of “National Parks” needed a strong, visionary leader like Stephen Mather, the first director of the fledgling agency. But it also needed Mather’s right hand man, Horace Albright, to help carry out that vision. Without either Mather — or Albright — the world-class system of lands we call the National Park System may look much different.
Vision without implementation is just a dream. So, yes, I agree that there are definitely different types of success and that our society overemphasizes a particular variety.
But I also think you’re throwing in the towel a bit early. I mean, you’re in, what, your mid-twenties? I’m not sure you can come to any real conclusion about what your success will look like. While you may know what your strengths are (right now, at least…), I’m not sure I’d jump to pigeon-holing yourself so quickly either. I thought that the book Outliers made an interesting point – that you have to be afforded the opportunity to work hard to achieve great success. And several of the success stories dissected in the book didn’t look like successes until the situation changed. The path to success isn’t as straight as it always appears from the outside.
All those “great” thinkers, alleged leaders and big (stolen from someone else) thinkers are nothing without the people who do the actual work to bring it into the real world. And dreamers can waste a lot of time. Whether you are quoted, tweeted, blogged about or sampled? Feh! Most of what is on the internet is fiddle-faddle anyway. You do pretty durned good Magnes.
Reality is, big change-the-world shifts are the effort of much more than one person. And that’s great — what better use of your life than to be surrounded by awesome people who believe in what you do!
The Superhero is a very Cold War notion, and the Cold War has been over for 20 years…