Be A Testimony To Your Own Greatness

rere in office_001Sometimes we have to be reminded of our own greatness…either by others or by ourselves.

I learned this last week while working. I was given an invaluable opportunity to teach a CPR/First Aid/AED class at Harvard University. I had eight students total, and they all had a ton of questions about how to treat burns, as well as if we should check for a victim’s pulse, etc. I relied on my experience to answer their questions, and this experience has come second nature to me…almost like breathing.

Because teaching others to save a life of another is such a common thing for me to do, I often dismiss what I know. I downplay it…and actually try to do all I can to not stand apart from the rest. However, try as I may, I cannot. This is because I am who I am, not because of how others construct who I am, but because God has inevitably blessed me with an array of talents.

quotes-christopher-fields-greatness-1024x1024Yet, how can we acknowledge our own greatness without coming off as pretentious…or even obnoxious? Further, how can we help others acknowledge their own greatness…without overshadowing them in the process?

To answer these questions, I think we should all do the following things:

  1. Create a list of all the things you are great at. If you are good at cooking, for instance, write that down!
  2. Be around people who believe in your worth. Creating a support system that embraces who you are is crucial to acknowledging not only your worth, but your greatness too.
  3. Cultivate relationships that encourage transparency and communication. I am a firm believer that if you can constructively dialog with a person, even in the midst of an argument, that this can act as a true testimony to your own greatness. Anyone can lose their temper and go off on another person, but it takes a truly great person to foster an atmosphere of dialog and mutual understanding.
  4. Do things that affirm your greatness. If you enjoy writing (like I do), create your own online blog. Or, if you have a dream of parachuting out of a plane, plan a trip that will allow you to do that. Breathing life into your dreams can act as a catalyst to confirm your greatness.
  5. Compliment others. If you see someone wearing a gorgeous dress, tell them it looks great on them! A compliment goes a long way in building up others, and it also is a testimony to how great you are…particularly as it relates to acknowledging the greatness in others.
  6. Read and learn about the world around you. Devour all the information you can to develop a better understanding of the world around you.
  7. Aim to understand the flip side of an argument, and determine if it holds any merit. However, do not let the argument consume you to the point where it undermines your worth. There is nothing wrong with accessing the validity of an argument or a complaint, but never allow it to consume you.
  8. Take care of yourself. Exercise, eat right, wash your hair…cultivate a routine that allows you to pamper yourself and acknowledge just how great you are.
  9. Treat others the way you want to be treated. It is very important to treat others the way you want to be treated; this acts as a testimony to how great you are, and it also acts as a way to uplift others in the process.

your greatnessI am sure there are many more ways to acknowledge your own greatness, but these are some staples I sincerely live by. While many of us are merely at the edge of greatness, I ask you the following: How do you acknowledge your greatness, and how do you acknowledge the greatness of others? If you cannot answer this question, perhaps you should cultivate ways to affirm just how wonderful of a person you are (smiles).