You Can Be The Greatest

Yeah, you can be the greatest
You can be the best

Hall of Fame by The Script ft Will.i.am

The song is one of the few songs that tell a stark truth. 

We all have ambitions of being the greatest at something. It could be a childhood ambition that didn't die off and often glows in our happy moments. It could be a recent ambition borne out of a desire to not just exist but live fully. And it could be an ambition you are already pursuing. Whatever it is, you can be the best at it. Don't wait for luck.

Go after it, even if you have to start very small. You don't have to be crazy like me. All you need is just 10 mins everyday. Spend 10 mins everyday on your ambition, on your dream. And if you can, spend more than 10 mins daily on it. I don't think there's anyone so busy he can't find 10 mins to spend on something he is truly passionate about.

That was how I began chasing my one life goal. To become a renaissance man. It all began when I was about 12 years old. I read a book about a family that was involved in a shipwreck and ended up in a jungle. Three children, their mother and their father. But they not only survived but thrived in that jungle because the father was a renaissance man. He was a white collar guy, blue collar guy, pink collar guy and extremely knowledgeable. He made a comfortable home from the jungle resources, built useful tools, cultivated a garden, hunted, and provided more than their basic needs. He wasn't some egghead.

Then, I made a list of all I need to achieve my goal. And everyday that passes I'm getting closer to my goal. Even my daily blogging is one of my daily means of working on my goal. Being a renaissance man, for me, also means being an accomplished writer. The only reason I've not given up on my french studies is because of the goal. I need to become a polyglot. For more than 3 years now, I have been brushing with my left hand in a bid to become less right brain dominant. Also not unconnected to my goal. I have read more books about the 18th and 19th century than the 20th or 21st century. I have all my savings in the stock market, to force me to become a good financial analyst; and I have read more finance books than engineering books. And now, I'm already simulating my own shipwreck by quitting my job and surviving solely on my own creativity.

Though my goal is not tied to being the greatest renaissance man or the best, I still find a good deal of encouragement in that song. Especially in the video, seeing people taking on loftier and almost impossible goals and having a feel of the huge obstacles they were up against, I feel like mine is going to be an easy ride. 

And so I will like you to take inspiration from the song and go after your dream. 

Yeah, you can be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong
Banging on your chest

You can beat the world, you can beat the war
You can talk to God, go banging on his door

You can throw your hands up, you can be the clock
You can move a mountain, you can break rocks

You can be the master, don’t wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself

Standing in the hall of fame (yeah)
And the world’s gonna know your name. (yeah)
‘Cos you burn with the brightest flame, (yeah)
And the world’s gonna know your name. (yeah)
And you’ll be on the walls of the hall of fame

You can go the distance, you could run the mile
You could walk straight through hell with a smile
You could be the hero, you could get the gold
Breaking all the records you thought never could be broke

Do it for your people, do it for your pride
You never know if you never even try

Do it for your country, do it for your name
‘Cause there’s gonna be a day

When you’re standing in the hall of fame, (yeah)
And the world’s gonna know your name. (yeah)
‘Cos you burn with the brightest flame, (yeah)
And the world’s gonna know your name. (yeah)
And you’ll be on the walls of the hall of fame...