I heard a wonderful quote today, “we measure a man’s greatness by how much it takes to discourage him.”  I really like what this quote has to say, and I think that it says a lot in a few words.  How do we measure the greatness of a man?  Our society has many different views on this, it depends on who you ask I’m sure.  I think that a man is great if he has realistic goals and doesn’t stop trying to meet them.

I think that too many people give up on life too easily….too many people settle for what is available to them, many never try to go beyond what is expected of them by their family.  If their parents made it in poverty..why struggle to get beyond that, why not just give up and accept that this is your place in life…..

I really admire people who do not settle, who go after what they want.  I consider myself lucky to have a supportive family and group of friends, but I know not everyone is so lucky.  As stated in a previous post, many people are lied to with the thoughts of the American Dream, it’s not as easy as the legends make it out to be.  There are a lot of forces in society working against people rising above what they were raised in; however, some people are lucky enough and stubborn enough to do just that.  I consider those people great, no matter if they are knocked down a hundred times, they never give up.

Greatness is making up your own mind about things.  Greatness is living your own life, despite everything around you.  Greatness is being your own person, with your own goals, your own expectations, and your own dreams.