23 - Greatness

NBA.com

Michael Jordan with a basketball. Serena Williams with a tennis racket. Jimmy Hendrix with a guitar. George Carlin with a microphone. Eminem with a pen. Ken Jennings with a buzzer.

What separates the “GOATs” from the rest of their contemporaries? Is it something learned or acquired? Is it genetic? Is it being in the right place at the right time? Is it a combination of all three?

Whatever it is, I have enormous respect and admiration for those deemed the greatest of all time in their respective fields.

Whenever you want to explore a new medium our craft, you always start with those who were considered to be the best those crafts had to offer.

The greats are studied, hated, debated, emulated, and talked about years after their reign - their accomplishments and the subsequent mythology that surrounds them far outlasting their own personal mortality.

And it’s in that concept of mortality that I find GOATs most fascinating.

When they’re in their primes, they almost seem like an alien species. Whether it’s putting up mind boggling stats, crafting a ridiculous solo, or stringing rhymes together in a way the average human’s mind never could - they show us what human beings are capable of provided the right conditions.

But as alien as they appear at times, they are like us in every single category, save for one.

Their work ethic, discipline, and obsession with personal improvement inspires us to work harder ourselves, be better, and discover our greatness within. Maybe I’m the world’s greatest drummer and haven’t yet realized it because I’ve never picked up the sticks. Maybe we all have talents hidden deep within us that we’ve yet to discover.

They set the bar for excellence, make the world a more interesting place, and give us a glimpse into the power and resiliency of the human spirit.

If you’re gonna do something - do it with pride. Do it with gusto. Do it with the same focus and discipline as they would. It’s part of how they got to where they did.

Never quitting, never settling, always expecting more from themselves than even the loftiest of expectations placed on them by fans and critics alike.

Greatness, in and of itself is, well- great.