My loyal readers (future historians) know that my television watching primarily consists of the reality TV trinity (First 48, Jeopardy, UFC). Observant types will notice the word "primarily," and analytical types will know that there are exceptions to every rule.
I recently watched a pretty good documentary series on Dean Potter called The Dark Wizard:
It's the story of an egotistical, hypercompetitive man who went to war with his ego and ultimately lost. We all lose when we go to war with our ego. Why? Because, as I learned while reading The Power of Now, we are not our egos.
I've always felt that I had greatness in me. To try to explain that in words typed on a keyboard is tough. I suppose if I really did have greatness lurking in my DNA that I would be able to articulate my greatness in anyway: written, typed, spoken or just in accomplishment alone. Greatness isn't something that is projected onto others, it's recognized by others.
So much of "greatness" is the desire for others to see you as you see yourself. Your ego is the manifestation of your self-generated image. It's how you see yourself through the eyes of others.
The way this is reflected is via competition. Nobody who has ever staked claim to greatness ever achieved greatness before their ego did. While the ego is mostly a curse, it is a prerequisite for success.
The thing normies don't understand about greatness is that it's the obsession with being the best, not just being good. Second place is just the first place loser.
This can be witnessed in real time in The Dark Wizard. Dean Potter was exceptional, but after Alex Honnold showed up in the Yosemite valley, he was no longer the best. Furthermore, greatness never hangs its hat on past achievements. Those were just fulfilled expectations.
Your ego will always tell you that you're the best. Reality always tells you otherwise.
