Be Confident of Your Greatness:
Being in Control of Your Life in Tough Times
Kevin Hogan, Psy.D.
We all want to be remembered, to have done something
that mattered. To have been the person who was in control
whenever others were spinning out of control.
In a word, we all aspire to Greatness.
The funny thing is that it's not all that difficult to be there.
What is it that stops someone from being truly certain and
confident?
Why don't people do the simple things in life that
would give them a truly incredible and wonderful life?
The difference between success and failure is usually very
marginal.
For example: A few actions (literally) daily make the difference
between 30,000 per year and 50,000 per year. A few more actions
(literally) daily make the difference between 50,000 per year
and 100,000 per year.
And of course that's just one measure of greatness.
The CEO who bought a luxury liner then bankrupted his company
and employees is far from great. There are many measures....
So what are the problems and obstacles to having personal
mastery and how are they overcome? What specifically strips
people of their personal mastery and complete confidence and
how can the forces be counteracted?
Learned Helplessness
Greatness, personal mastery begins with personal
understanding and a SIMPLE core philosophy.
There is one BIG obstacle that gets in the way. Most would
never guess it.
Learned helplessness is at the root of much of the clinical
depression that people experience. It's central to personal failure.
Learned helplessness is exactly what the words say. It is
the process that leads someone to believe they are helpless.
You know part of this story, but let this story penetrate to
the deepest part of your mind. It is the metaphor for Greatness.
In the 1600's very small groups of people migrated from England
to...New England and started colonizing a largely uninhabited
region of what is now known as the United States. They were
almost starting from zero. Next to no food. Next to no clothing.
Next to no tools. They had very, very little. And that...having
next to nothing...is often the right preparation for personal
mastery and tremendous achievement....
They realized that they needed to survive everything the new
land had to throw at them. Including the elements which were
much different from England. The weather of New England is
much more extreme in heat and cold...cold that would kill
many the first few years in America. But there was no
opportunity to learn to be helpless.
There is one BIG obstacle that gets in the way. Most would
never guess it.
