Greatness is an Evolution, not a Revolution

Many who know me well, know that one of my favourite bloggers/mentors out there is Robin Sharma I have read most of his books over the past 10 years and he has changed my life immensely. I follow his Blog, Twitter and Facebook pages regularly and highly recommend him to anyone looking for some inspiration and assistance on their Journey.

I'd like to share with you one of my all-time favourite posts from Robin titled Greatness by Evolution Versus Revolution In this post Robin does a great job of explaining how Greatness is achieved one step at a time and through slow, steady improvements. So many people wake up and think they can change everything in one or 2 days. It's a long Journey and we need to be patient and gentle with ourselves while we try to improve our daily lives. One of my favourite quotes from the post is the following:

"I suggest to you that there's a better way to get to world-class within the important areas of your life: evolution. Small baby steps. Daily and continuous micro-improvements. Steady and consistent elevations in the way you work, lead and live (Dad always said slow and steady wins the race). Every dream started off small and grew step by step."

Photo by betta_design

Think about all the great things in our lives and ask the question if they happened quickly or it took time to build them? I think most times you'll find the answer is that it takes time to build something great (a historic landmark, a fantastic relationship, a solid business, etc). I like how Robin also explains that if you make 1% improvements daily it won't take you that long to reach your Greatness! I know, ever since I read this post 2 or 3 years ago it has stuck with me and I try to make daily improvements to increase the quality of my life and the others around me. As I mentioned it's an ongoing process but one step at a time is a great way to continue on your Journey. We can lose sight of this sometimes in our society of instant gratification.

What are some of the ways you are working towards greatness? It would be great to hear some of your stories in the comments below. Thanks for checking out my blog, please don't forget to also follow me on Twitter or hook me up on Facebook (I am not sure if my profile works for "non friends", maybe someone can check that and get back to me, thanks). Cheers.

Jan 11, 2010

Adrian Nadeau said...

I just realised I need to take this approach as I try to learn more on the #drums. I am making a commitment to myself to NOT get frustrated and learn 1% at a time :-) starting today!

Hey Friends... please feel free to check out, join in or share my blog over http://anadeau.evolvingsolutions.ca/ Anyone want to do a video on their Journey? Or even write a blog post about it? Let me know, it'll be fun!

jekennedy said...

Thanks for the post Adrian. The most difficult thing for me, in trying to "integrate" positive behaviors/routines into my life, is consistency (discipline). Even if these improvements are attempted in micro portions, they need to be maintained regularly for a long time or they won't stick. Still trying ....

@jekennedy Yes, very true Justin. I know what you are saying, our bodies and minds don't like to change. I really do believe when they say if you can do something for 21 or 30 days straight it becomes a habit (hopefully a good one! lol). But those 3 or 4 weeks are a tough SOB to get through! I know we can be hard on ourselves also when trying to work these new habits into our lives. We have to remember to be kind and gentle with ourselves sometimes. That's something I've had troubles with in the past. Good luck!

Jan 13, 2010

Arvind Devalia said...

Thanks Adrian for the reminder to improve 1% every day and to build on that daily. I have read 2 of Robin Sharma's books and you have inspired me to read more of his work.

It is high time to evolve towards my greatness:-)

@arvinddevalia Thanks for your feedback Arvind! I highly recommend Robin Sharma's books @_robin_sharma Good luck with your evolution. It sounds like you are on the right track.

Jan 16, 2010

belindavmunoz said...

Hi Adrian, yes! Evolution is underrated. Thx for stopping by my blog.

Thank you Belinda for checking out my blog also! Glad to have made the connections, take care!

Jan 20, 2010

said...

Building greatness takes time. Did you know it took more than 20 years to construct the Taj Mahal? :)

Hey Reilly, I knew it took a long time to build it, that was my main reason for choosing the image of it. I just didn't know it was more than 20 years. I guess I could have choose a picture of the pyramids also. They are quite amazing. I visited a great place in Mexico once and couldn't believe the greatness of the pyramids up close and personal. I can't remember how long it took for them to be built but I know it was many, many years. Keeps things in perspective.

The Journey...