I was eating lunch and writing at one of my favorite restaurants when I noticed a sign on the wall that said, "I AM THE GREATEST." Even though I write about greatness, it made me slightly uncomfortable.  There is no modesty in that statement and we are taught not to shine the spotlight on ourselves.  If we are fortunate enough to be great at something, we should leave it to someone else to acknowledge that greatness. After all, we are not all Muhammad Ali, or are we?

Are we inherently great or it is a goalpost that we aim for?  I believe that both are correct.  We are inherently great but we have to identify, embrace and nurture the thing that makes us unique.  You CAN confidently say that you are the GREATEST!  Why?  Because there is only one you and only you can be great at what you do.  You were uniquely and marvelously made.  There is no other like you.  Your DNA is derived from many but it belongs to only you. Our greatness is in our individuality, our uniqueness, our quirkiness; it is the thing that makes us special.

What comes easy to you?  What personality trait gets the most compliments?  Have you had a deep yearning your entire life to try something in particular (art, music, learn a language, start a charity) but you are not sure why the urge won't go away? You may be standing face to face with your gift but you are too busy doubting yourself to claim it. Does it feel too strange or weird or maybe it is not what others expect of you or not financially sound.  We often attribute greatness to financial success so if our gift is not income generating, we don't value it. 

Our society values teamwork and there is honor in being a great team player.  However, remember that you work well on a team because you bring something that no one else can.  You may say, "I am in a band and we all sing."  Absolutely, but you don't sound the same way, you don't play the same instrument the exact same way.  You touch the audience in different ways.  You are unique. 

No one else can leave the same footprint or handprint as you. It is not a novel concept. Some call it purpose or superpower.  When you find it, embrace it and be great at it like only you can. By all  means, choose modesty as your outer expression but like Muhammad Ali, it is also ok to look in the mirror, smile and declare, "I AM THE GREATEST."  Embrace yourself. Embrace your gift. Be proud of all that you are.  This doesn't mean that you don't still have a lot of work to do and a lot of ways in which you can be of service of others; it just means that you are starting from a place of inner strength and confidence.