To Be Great, You Need Opposition

“Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has to overcome to reach his goals.” – Dorothy Height

Most people don’t like to think of obstacles as motivating factors to success. Yet, time after time we’ve seen that truly successful people (as opposed to those merely claiming success) often say that they’ve achieved their goals, in part, because of the opposition they had to overcome.

Quick translation: to be great, you need opposition.

Maybe this sounds too catchy to be true. Maybe you don’t like the idea of struggling to get past obstacles and hurdles. But how much do you want to achieve your goals, whatever they are? If you truly desire to be successful, you not only must overcome opposition to your efforts, but you should also welcome the opportunity to do so.

It’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed in the face of opposition, though. The fact that something feels and looks like it’s impossible is enough to cause anyone temporary doubt. Summon your courage, marshal your resources, draw upon your innate creativity and problem-solving ability and move forward with action.

Then, there’s also the concept of greatness, which most of us don’t apply to ourselves. For the purposes of discussion, substitute the word successful for greatness. Now it makes more sense. Now you can relate, right? Everyone wants to be successful at something in life.

Once you do achieve your goals, you can go back in your mind and replace successful with greatness and congratulate yourself on your efforts. You deserve the accolade.

Just don’t bask too long in the glow of accomplishment. There’s lots more work to be done and worthwhile goals that need your attention and action.

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