I’m scared of becoming great.

If you’d asked me 16 years ago, aged 8, what I wanted to be when I grow up I would’ve given you the prescribed response of a Doctor. I wanted to be a Doctor, why? Because Doctors save lives, they help people and they know what to do.

I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, doctor of the brain as soon as I realised that people have issues with their minds and how they think. Little did I know a) I actually wanted to be a psychiatrist and b) I need one a hundred times more than I wanted to be one.

Only free people, can free people said a wise man once. And I concur.

A common question which flies around is ‘Who freed the slaves?” And a good question of that. Was it Lincoln’s ‘Emancipation Proclamation’ or the great feminist abolitionists and their petition which ended hundreds of years of slavery?

Some argue the slaves freed themselves. I don’t know?

Lucy Stanton, the first African American woman to complete a four-year course of a study at a college or university was a key figure in the abolition of slavery in America. She was a born free who is noted for giving speeches urging masses to join those standing up for those still enslaved. Together with many other abolitionist who where then educated, could read and write and had attained key pieces of knowledge regarding the political and economical status of America and the great injustices; this fuelled passions leading to the marches and activism that led to the ending of slavery.

I recently attended an International Women’s Day event where one of the speakers told the story of how she changed the process of electing females into senior leadership positions of an organisation simply because she used her voice. In retrospect, I believe in addition to her voice she also knew something that perhaps other people in the same position who had the same opportunity didn’t know. Or actually she believed in herself enough to speak up.

A common thread in both of these examples, women who took bold steps and achieved something for others. So that otters to may gave a voice or a platform or be given an opportunity that at a moment seems far fetched.

And so it is with you and me. Our individual differences are packed with more than enough weight to impact society in this present day and for generations to come. So let it happen. Contrary to your local playground bully, manipulative ex or generally being mis-understood.. you have something to offer.

We maybe past the days of slavery in America (or maybe not) but there are lots of things closer to home which need you to act, and in doing them you may actually enjoy them not only that you may just be really good at it and eventually become great through it. And hey that’s okay!

I’m realising time and time again that greatness is not a means to an end nor is it an end in itself rather a by product of expressing the best you and making the best impact to others as a result.