I define greatness as the joy of self-mastery, which is commonly termed fulfillment. How often do we postpone our fulfillment in life to a future date? When I’m older, when I complete my degree, when I have more money, when I’m married with kids, when I meet the right people, when I master the next best self-help technique–then and only then can I live life to the fullest. Anyone who’s lived long enough will tell you that the promise of future satisfaction is an illusion. Finding fulfillment has everything to do with changing attitudes and ways of being, not relying on people or things in the external world. That raises the question–what do I do if I cannot locate fulfillment in the future and haven’t been able to attain it in the present?

There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”

Psalm 4:6

The title of this post is a Native American proverb. It captures the same inspiration my mentor gave me several months ago. The proverb is powerful because it demolishes the notion that there is something lacking in the present. It prevents us from fostering the illusion that the answers we seek are found outside of ourselves or in an imaginary future. We do strive to grow in knowledge and ability–that is the primary motivation of this site–but what is even more important is realizing that the seeds of fulfillment are within. They are found in our person, not in anything external to us. Self-help is about discovering the best tools with which to water those seeds, but growth begins and ends in the mind.

You have the power today to walk in greatness using no other resource than your own mind. And that is the most powerful realization you will ever come to.