Andrew
Hunt for Greatness
Milton Kamwendo
The tragedy in life is not death, but the fearful prospect that a lot of people find that when they face death, they discover that they actually never lived.
Decide that you will express life in all you do. Pack so much life into every activity and be present in this moment. Knowing that the best you can do is the best you can do.
Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi is a celebrated 13th Century Persian poet, born in Afghastan, he died in Turkey in 1273, and did his extensive work in Iran. Rumi travelled, taught and wrote extensively, reflecting deeply on many of life’s issues and transitions. He wrote a moving poem entitled: “On the day I die”. The poem is not just about death, but about change and the transitions in life.
Never fear change because you are holding so tightly to the past that you cannot let go who you were in order to become what you could be. See beyond the mirage of the present. Defy all the limitations that others may have set for you. Challenge yourself to become more in every way. Beyond the veil of whatever reality you are wrestling with, lies possibilities beyond your wildest dreams. Do not let fear dispossess you of greatness.
Rumi’s moving and inspiring poem reads:
“On the day I die, when I’m being carried
toward the grave, don’t weep.
Don’t say,
He’s gone! He’s gone.
Death has nothing to do with going away.
The sun sets and the moon sets, but they’re not gone.
Death is a coming together.
The tomb looks like a prison, but it’s really
release into union.
The human seed goes down in the ground like a bucket into
the well where Joseph is.
It grows and comes up full of some unimagined beauty.
Your mouth closes here, and immediately
opens with a shout of joy there.”
Remember to remember
Make your mark and leave your dent on the world. Mr Steve Jobs once remarked that we are all here in the world to make a dent, our special market, otherwise why would we be here? The opportunities to make a mark are there everyday and in every place. Do not wait for the big stage because everyday is a stage for you to play on. You are the protagonist. Just make the most of this moment.
At a Stanford University Graduation in 2005, Steve Jobs gave a moving commencement address. At that time he was fighting pancreatic cancer. He knew every day was a precious gift too good to waste. Most people waste life because they are thinking that theirs will be a long life. For jobs, time was at a premium. He had to pack a lot of life into his days and make his mark. His gift to the world was not money, but products that people would love, passionately use and that would transform their experience of life. His mission was transforming lives through technology. He stood at the intersection of technology and daily living.
In his address to the eager students, faculty and parents of Stanford University, Jobs remarked: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Note those words and hold them dear — remembering you will be dead soon clarifies your thinking and priorities.
Find your heart’s deep yearnings; follow your heart and clarify your priorities. Decide to do things that matter. Stop playing to the galley of people that are not watching. Stop living to impress those who do not care to be impressed by you. Stop doing insane things. Stop being held up by petty frustrations that blind you from the beauty of this moment and the opportunities that you have.
Challenge your limits. Remove the blindfolds. Stop living a life as a squeeze-ball of complaints. You and I will soon be gone and posterity will judge mercilessly. Never think like you will be there forever. For Jobs, knowing he was dying was one of the best tools that helped him clarify his values and goals. This tool is available to all who care enough to use it.
All of us on this side of eternity have a limited franchise. Knowing this, is a key to living, reordering priorities and returning to the place of humble leadership. Remember to remember that in the face of death, some priorities fade away and others loom large. Simplify your life and you will smile longer.
You will not live for ever. Death will come, but till then your business is living and not worrying about your funeral. Death is a mirror. It is when you look at death in the mirror that you are prompted to live and not die. Do not be a coward who lives with a death-wish because you are too scared live. Stop running and start engaging and living. Make your mark, take bold steps and make your dent on the universe.
No one lives forever, we are all mere tenants with different leases. Each moment is valuable and ought to be lived well, knowing that one day you will be gone. Instead of fearing that you will die, fear that you might not live. Aim to live and do your best to make a difference where you are, with what you have.
Improve everything
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a manifesto of living when he penned: “To laugh often and much;
“To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
Make it your business and obsession to leave everything better than you found it. Bring the difference that matters. Today is what you have, live your purposeful best. When you know you have done your best today you can throw your head on your pillow and say: “Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.”
You cannot keep crying about the past and pining for it, the best you can do is to live today and do your best today. Rob death of its pleasure by living your best day. Make your most. You do not afford to live purposelessly and to give up trying. Trying times are not the times to stop trying and start crying.
Whisper aloud
Alexander the Great had a decorated retinue of officials that followed him and sang his praises. Some even thought he was immortal. In his wisdom, Alexander employed a special advisor that followed him around wherever he went with a mandate to routinely whisper: “You are mere mortal. You are just a man. You are mortal.”
It was a piercing reality check that he needed and used. Who is whispering this to your ear?
This innovation helped Alexander to maintain sobriety and humility. It forced him to admit his weaknesses and nakedness. When you internalise your mortality, you live with humility and the knowledge that this moment will also pass and you too will be like those that have also gone. Yet, your role is to do your best today and let tomorrow have its way.
Committed to your greatness.
Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, author, and a virtual, hybrid and in-person workshop facilitator. He is a cutting-edge strategy, team-building and organisation development facilitator and consultant. His life purpose is to inspire and promote greatness. He can be reached at: [email protected] and His website is: www.miltonkamwendo.com
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