Fortune Cookie No. 7 - You Enjoy Playing to a Crowd

You Enjoy Playing to a Crowd

No, I really don't enjoy playing to a crowd. In fact I've never really wanted to either and I doubt I ever will. Of course I don't enjoy sitting on the sidelines watching others succeed and live life either. But what an unusual fortune. Is this more of an issued challenge or a blatant lie? This is not to say that we should avoid the limelight, the attention, and the crowds. Or that those who love such settings are doing things just for show. It almost reads as if the team that wrote this fortune cookie fortune was desperate for a new fortune:

"Alright team, I've got nothing. I am plum out of good ideas and I think our consumers are catching on. People don't really believe these things, do they?"

"I don't know. We've packaged and repackaged the same fortunes over and over. I guess we can do it again."

"But won't people catch on that these aren't really "fortunes".

"I doubt anyone really reads that much into them anyhow."

Now then I do strive for greatness. I would hope everyone does too. And some actions do need to be seen and shown. Hard to be an actor without a stage or camera. But can't one be great without being in the spotlight or doing things for others to see? Does every good deed need to be known? Certainly there are some not so good deeds best left unknown.

For this fortune reading I've chosen a different direction. My mantra for this posting is to live for something great! Challenge yourself to be great, but challenge yourself to be something greater than yourself. Be a part of something great. Contribute to something great. Expect great things. But do it without the attention, glory, and honors.

I love this quote by John Wooden, the revered former men's basketball coach at UCLA: "The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching." In regards to this post, I read it as saying, "Whatever you do privately, in many ways, you should be willing to do them publicly." (And yes, I'm aware that as a coach of a major university, much of what he did was on a major stage - humor me).

While you don't have to play to a crowd, avoid the shadows and safety of the sidelines. It may require a certain amount of vulnerability and risk, but great deeds done in private will ultimately yield great reward.