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Lewis Howes on the 'Warrior's Path' to Greatness Have you ever wondered what it takes for an average person to become great?

By Lewis Howes Edited by Dan Bova

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This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

Lewis Howes

Have you ever wondered what it takes for an average person to become great?

"To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other." – Carlos Castaneda

Maybe you look at him and say he was privileged. That person was given everything and it was handed to him on a silver platter. You think yes, that is why it is easy for him to be successful.

Or maybe you look at her and see the horrible pain and suffering she has overcome and think that is why she is successful, because her burden became her blessing. Because she has a story to tell which makes it easy for her to sell.

Do you think you were born for something bigger, something spectacular, some greater purpose? Or is greatness meant only for the select few?

Harriet Tubman was once an average slave girl who was horribly injured as a young woman, yet she went on the lead thousands to freedom as she said, "Every great dream begins with a dreamer."

There was once an average baby girl that fell mysteriously ill and was struck blind, dumb, and mute. She grew up to be Helen Keller and said, "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

An average doctor became Holocaust survivor and pioneering psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who said, "What is to give light must endure burning."

Were these average people born great? Were they given a free pass to success? Would they even care about success? What did they do differently than others' whose names did not pass through time?

I will tell you what they did differently.

They didn't settle.

They never gave up.

They wanted freedom and they didn't stop until they got it.

Harriet Tubman didn't care about average or great. She only cared about her vision and her dreams, and it guided her to freedom.

Helen Keller was trapped alone in her body in a world of her own until she saw a way out and then insatiably she studied to share her world with all of us.

Viktor Frankl found meaning in the darkest places our world has created. But he held on to the crumbs of beauty which came to him in tiny bits and helped him stay focused on his survival and ultimately, his freedom.

Do you want to be free?

If so, what is holding you back? What slavery are you hindered by?

What disabilities are keeping you playing small?

What prison has stolen your spirit?

Only those inside your own mind can keep you from it.

So what is the difference between average and great?

Just a hair, a smidge, a breath.

The promise, the faith, the hope, the knowledge that freedom is yours when you choose it.

Freedom lives in your heart.

Mother Teresa said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

Any average person can do great things.

From small to great, there is no average.

Greatness is never settling. Greatness is freedom.

Remember:

"There are no small parts, only small actors." – Constantin Stanislavski

Welcome to Episode 150 on The School of Greatness.

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn

Lewis Howes

New York Times Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Coach

Lewis Howes is a New York Times bestselling author of The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked Apple podcast, The School of Greatness. Howes was recognized by the White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Details magazine called him one of “5 Internet Guru’s that can Make You Rich.”  Howes has been featured on Ellen, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health and other major media outlets.

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