The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness) – Forbes
The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)
These six factors can erode the grandest of plans and the noblest of intentions. They can turn visionaries into paper-pushers and wide-eyed dreamers into shivering, weeping balls of regret. Beware!
1) Availability
We often settle for what’s available, and what’s available isn’t always great. “Because it was there,” is an okay reason to climb a mountain, but not a very good reason to take a job or a free sample at the supermarket.
2) Ignorance
If we don’t know how to make something great, we simply won’t. If we don’t know that greatness is possible, we won’t bother attempting it. All too often, we literally do not know any better than good enough.
3) Committees
Nothing destroys a good idea faster than a mandatory consensus. The lowest common denominator is never a high standard.
4) Comfort
Why pursue greatness when you’ve already got 324 channels and a recliner? Pass the dip and forget about your grand designs.
5) Momentum
If you’ve been doing what you’re doing for years and it’s not-so-great, you are in a rut. Many people refer to these ruts as careers.
6) Passivity
There’s a difference between being agreeable and agreeing to everything. Trust the little internal voice that tells you, “this is a bad idea.”
How To Be More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps)
Nine Dangerous Things You Were Taught In School
Comments
7. Altruistic epithets that pander to corporate ideology and pretend to empower the common worker….
Reply
Brilliant article.
Reply
Jessica, I love your work. Now I hope you can convince the Forbes content management system people to get out of their style rut and on board with your use of graphics. The extra whitespace after each graphic, rather than before, tends to tie the graphic to the wrong topic. (Hence the orphan graphic at the bottom of the first page in this article.) Even better would be a 2-column look: topic paragraph to the right of the graphic.
Reply
I can see how this format is quite illustrative. Thanks for sharing.
Reply
Really? The generalizations is this article are pretty preposterous. If you are going to be a critic, pseudo-intellectual clap-trap won’t do.
Reply
Your points really resonated with me. A rut does not a career make could not be more true.
I generally find that the seventh enemy of greatness and happiness is boredom and its accompanying lethargy. There’s nothing more energizing than a renewed sense of purpose; and sometimes searching for a new purpose can be just as rewarding as identifying the purpose itself.
Reply
This is awesome. You have hit the nail on the head. Jim Collins (I think), said that good is the enemy of the great. You have illustrated this so well.
Reply
Well articulated.
Awareness of multiplicity leads to a potential for self-direction.
Reply
Very well articulated. A beaut sum up off years of experience in just 6 Simple heading.
Reply
nice article…. those are real enemies if our happiness in life… thanks for article….
Reply
That’s A Like 😉
Reply
One thing more… If want to change your mood do see this !
http://www.worldofmemes.com/
Reply
A nice way to pen down the thoughts..
Reply