Greatness

"The great arises out of the small things that are honored and cared for.  Everybody's life really consists of small things.  Greatness is a mental abstraction and favorite fantasy of the ego.  The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness." - Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

My sister went to Duke & is a huge Blue Devils basketball fan.  I didn't understand what all the hoopla (hahaha ;) was about until I went to visit her one weekend & we went to a game at Cameron.  It was like being part of a crazy elitist cult for a few hours, even I was sucked in against my better judgement....when in Rome, right?!  I recently watched a documentary on the Kentucky vs. Duke 1992 NCAA Championship Game, considered by many to be the greatest college basketball game ever played.  What really stuck with me was Christian Laettner's explanation for how he maintained his composure & stayed completely in the moment to make that legendary "Shot Heard Round the World" at the buzzer.  As a child growing up in upstate New York he was obsessed with becoming the best basketball player he could be.  Every night when his mom would call him in for dinner he would pretend he was taking the winning shot at the buzzer...."3..2..1...Score!!"  And sure enough when it came down to that moment for real, it was old hat.  That small moment practiced consistently became a moment of greatness.

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