Greatness

"Real greatness isn't always what you do in life; real greatness is often best measured by the greatness you inspire in others."

Steve Hartman

I heard this during a news story over the weekend and it has stuck with me since. I could not remember it verbatim so I looked up the story (thank goodness for the internet!). When I read the words for the second and third time the impact was even greater.

I have lived my life with the goal of inspiring others to be the best they can be at whatever endeavor they choose. As a mother and a teacher, my goal has been for all my 'kids', my own and my students, to see the greatness they they possess and use that greatness to the best of their ability. This is no easy task. I often have to push and the push back it hard to handle. I often have to be the 'bad guy' which is no fun. The resistance appears insurmountable sometimes but I have to soldier on with the big picture in mind. Building self esteem and self confidence is a delicate dance of mixing tough love with praise. The praise given must be genuine because children see right through fake like looking through a plate glass window. So while the praise is not always frequent it is honest and earned.

As a Girls on the Run Coach, I work with my girls to find their inner beauty and focus on the parts of their personality that make them unique. Once they tap into these things, they become unstoppable...a true force to be reckoned with as they grow older.

As I have aged, I have begun to see the fruits of my labor. More and more students contact me with news of their accomplishments...small and large. It is what makes every good and bad day worth it. Seeing my own children, my Girls on the Run and my students reach their fullest potential is my reason to get up and moving every day.

It is in the inspiring of others that I find my inspiration and fuel to keep moving forward. Each and every child, student, person, I come in contact with on a daily basis inspires me in some way to be better. Each have a lesson to teach me and it is my job to learn and to grow.

It is my hope and my prayer that when I am gone, I will have inspired others to be great and that they pass that on....

 

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