#81 - Realizing greatness
A true superpower
Last week I wrote an article called “The Origins of Wonderful”, to talk about the source of our best, and share about our next exciting plans at The Easier Project.
You can find it here:
In the second paragraph I initially wrote “…the dreams you realized…”, only to eventually change it to “….the dreams you followed…”. But that word kept staying with me. To realize, to realize… so much so that I woke up at 5am with that one word floating in my head. Actually, there were two words: realizing and greatness.
That’s when I knew that the Syphon of Potential had been activated, and insights kept on coming.
You can read more about how the Syphon works here:
In the morning my first step was to go on the Merriam-Webster dictionary to look for a definition. Here’s what I found:
“to realize”
1: to bring into concrete existence
2: to convert into actual money
3: to conceive vividly as real : be fully aware of
I often go to the dictionary to look for definitions hoping to find cool hooks that link up with what I’m writing about. It’s undeniable that when the trick works out, it gives the whole point I’m making an aura of deeper truth (“wow, the word itself carried the answer, incredible”). More often than not, this does not work out though and I end up tackling the article from another angle.
But this time I was amazed. Let me tell you why.
I want to start from the third definition, ‘to conceive vividly as real: be fully aware of’. This is the definition closest to the way I’ve been using “to realize” in my language. You realize something, as in you having a realization. Something that you couldn’t see before, now it’s vivid and real in your consciousness. As ordinary and obvious a definition as it may sound, this is the key to all learning and transformation.
We think that “knowing” something will make a difference, so we chase information. And yet, how often we find ourselves in that “I know the theory, but” conundrum?
“I know I shouldn’t care about what people say about me, but somehow it stresses me out anyway.”
The reason this happens is that reading or hearing something, doesn’t mean we have realized it. It’s just an “interesting fact in our head”, it’s not being conceived vividly as real.
I often speak about the insight, a new realization, as the building block of change. In fact, I’m quite obsessed by the topic! Check my TED Talk here to dive deeper into how to leverage the transformative power of insight, and pair it with No Way #39:
The part of this third definition that resonated the most for me this time, however, was the one waiting right after the colon: “to be fully aware of”. “To realize” is to be fully aware of; to be present to; to know it in your bones. When you realize something, it becomes immediately part of your world. It appears right there before your eyes, and you can’t unsee it. It’s not a theory, and you don’t need to remember it: it’s now your reality.
To check if something you think you know is just a cool piece of info in your head, or it’s something you realized, simply ask yourself “am I fully aware that….”? If you’re willing to listen to yourself, and welcome any answer without judgment, I guarantee you’ll know and it will look quite obvious to you.
Another way of playing with this is to come at it from the other side, and reflect on the things you already realized fully, the ones you have zero doubts about, and notice how that feels in your body. You can start with simple things like “I’m fully aware that my name is…” and take it as far as you want.
What are the things you’re fully aware of? What have you profoundly realized in your life?
Then comes the second definition, “to convert into actual money”. Initially, this one seemed to be the less relevant of the bunch. But I believe it hides a truth that will make sense in a second as we progress with the article.
You can realize an asset into actual money. When they make lists such as “top ten wealthiest people on Earth” you always see a dollar value next to the names. That number is not pointing to the amount of money each person has, but - in a way - to their potential of making it. Their real estate, stock and any other asset, if realized, could turn into that amount of actual money. Stretching a bit the term outside of the realm of finance, we could say that to realize is to convert potential into results. Let’s leave it at that for now, we’ll come back to it.
Moving on, we get to definition number 1: to bring into concrete existence, just like you can do with an objective. We’re talking about turning the formless into form, making the invisible visible. Creating something, from nothing. Something doesn’t exist, then it becomes a thought, and then it is realized, as in it becomes real, tangible.
I hope you are getting as excited as I am about the power of “realizing”. It points to the most phenomenal capacity that we have as human beings. Something that can’t be taken for granted, nor trivialized. Something we ignore at our own peril and that can change lives as we get more of a feel for it. A gift to be honored and respected with reverence.
To renew my invitation to take a moment and become fully aware of the ground-breaking importance of “realizing”, I’ll go back to my friend Merriam-Webster.
After the 3 definitions, there is a list of synonyms, and then something I wasn’t expecting. For each similar word, the dictionary tells us what nuance of the term it points to, so that we can choose which one is more accurate in context. So we learn that “imagine” stresses a visualization, that “conceive” suggests the bringing forth of an idea, and so on.
Here’s what it has to say about “realize”:
Realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined.
So, before moving any further, please take a moment to reflect on the significance of the fact that we possess the gift of turning nothing into something.
—
So what about greatness?
I define greatness in this context as our infinite potential. Our capacity to perform at levels beyond anything we could imagine; to always rise to the occasion, no matter what the occasion is. Our innate resilience, our innate wellbeing. Greatness is the reason we’re surrounded by exceptional results, surprising performances and apparently impossible achievements. You all met your greatness, in those moments often referred to as “flow”.
What do you think happens if we put these two enormously powerful forces next to each other?
What happens when our capacity to turn the formless into form, to convert potential into results and to be so fully aware of something that it becomes part of our reality, meets the wonderful, jaw-dropping infinity of our being?
Realizing greatness might be the only thing that really matters in order to have the life we desire. Realizing greatness might be the only thing we need to impact the world beyond our wildest dreams. Realizing greatness, it seems to me, is the name of the game in life. Capital P Purpose. What if we made it our Practice? The thing to get a feel for and pour attention and care into?
Every single one of us can tap into the infinite potential of the entire universe and turn it into new ideas. We can connect with the ever-flowing stream of life and see our world change before our eyes. This means we can turn what looks impossible into a no-brainer, in a heartbeat. When we have a realization - something that wasn’t there before but now it’s real thanks to our gift - we see a new path forward.
Can you see how being fully aware of your own greatness, would completely change the game? What if you could see that what you’re capable of is infinite and impossible to contain in any definition of yourself you can come up with? You are always bigger than you think. What if there were no limits to the possibility of expressing yourself and creating miracles?
The scary futures we create in our head seem so relevant because we see ourselves as a fragile, powerless being. One that needs to be worked on. But when you realize your greatness, and I mean truly realize it, you’re unstoppable because you’d know that there’s no occasion you couldn’t rise to.
Let’s keep going.
Realizing greatness, as we’ve seen, also means turning potential into results. We’re obsessed by outcomes. It’s all we can think of. That’s why we’d rather skip the journey and we’re constantly looking to cut corners. That’s why we’re paralyzed by the idea of “getting it wrong”. We’re trying to control the outcome because it’s the only thing we are looking at. And, ultimately, we don’t believe we’ll get there, unless we figure something out and do something more than just being ourselves. Also, we miss the fact that an outcome is, in fact, an outcome, not a cause. It’s just the consequence of our being, which inspires our doing.
What happens when I understand the power of realizing greatness? What happens as I focus more and more on the process of showing up to life, allowing my infinite potential to be realized, moment after moment? And, again, let me repeat and stress this: when I say realizing greatness, I mean learning to convert our infinite potential into tangible results. The outcome will come - inevitably - as a consequence of us bringing out our best consistently. It’s in the dictionary!
Last but not least, realizing greatness means making our awesomeness visible in every step we take. Mastering the art of realizing greatness means understanding how to allow each move, each word, each choice to be the manifestation of our innermost essence, the most wonderful part in us. This means that our performance on the pitch or in the boardroom, our connection with others, our creative projects, and so on, will all be infused with the light of our excellence. When I realize my greatness, my speaking carries a power that touches the hearts of the people around me, regardless of what words I end up using.
This is why there are people that can set our souls on fire even if when they’re telling a silly joke, and others that can speak all the right words, and craft deep, powerful speeches, and yet leave us cold and unmoved. The variable is how realized their greatness is.
Maybe sometimes you feel like an impostor, or you’re lacking confidence, or you wish you were different (more assertive, stronger, more creative, etc). You need nothing but becoming more fully aware of your greatness. In other words, realizing greatness is the answer.
Maybe sometimes you feel that despite all the time, effort and love you put into something, all the care and all your skills, you’re not getting the results you’d expect. All it takes is to understand how to turn potential into real impact. Realizing greatness, actually realizing greatness, means going from “I know I’m good at this, I know I gave it my all, I should be there by now” to the inevitability of progress as we touch our infinite power. Not unlike a cold window that immediately turns air into water the moment it touches it. Realizing greatness is not magic, it’s physics.
Maybe sometimes you notice that even if you apply all the strategies, and take all the steps, somehow your action lack that “x factor” that ultimately make a difference in any kind of performance or creation. Realizing greatness means infusing everything you do with that magic powder. Effortlessly.
Realizing greatness is the answer. And it’s our nature too. It’s what we’re here for and it’s the one thing we’re perfectly equipped to master. It’s part of the design.
I hope you’re seeing the truth and power of this. I hope you’re wondering what life would look like if you realized your greatness, day after day.
If this rings true to you, and you’re touched by the enormity of this possibility, you may be hungry to find out “how do I do that? How do I realize greatness?”. What I’m going to do might look like me leaving you hanging, cruelly, but I promise that it’s in service of your transformation. And anyway, this theme is at the heart of each No Way article and anything else I do, so you’ll have many chances to explore it further. But for now, I’ll ask you only one essential question. The one thing you need to get into the game:
Are you willing to realize your greatness?
Sit with it, don’t rush it. And as soon as you find that intention within you, everything will have already begun to change.
Love and wonder,
Nico
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