Are you in the game Charleston?: Do You Have the Passion to Be Great

By Mark A. Leon

Where is the soul?
Where is the emotional edge that grips us and reaches deep within our hidden fears and passions to ignite a flame that takes us to near heights of absolute euphoria.

Those were powerful words. That was the pure adrenaline that bleeds Red Bull from your veins and pumps your mental and physical juices. Don’t you love that rush. The feeling of anticipation right before something memorable is about to happen. Something that you will reflect on for years to come. A moment that will forever change your personal perception of life and being.

Some are fortunate to run out of a tunnel to 80,000 screaming fans, but most of us must rely on a much smaller fan base to motivate those raging instincts and bring us to the forefront.

Van Gogh and Mozart would be banished from this earthly soil before their genius was realized and now their works have donned the globe from the Louvre to Dancing with the Stars.

We are a flawed people. Not from the misfortune of a bite of an apple, but by our human nature of immediacy. We are narcissistic folk who thrives on flash reaction. We need to know that others feel something from our actions. Now, with the flood of social media, the entire world can know.

If you ask a couple that has been married for 70 years what the keys to success were that made their love last the test of time, you will find some very consistent responses. Patience, understanding and compromise. Hmmmm patience. Love takes time. Success takes practice. Legend is the immortal acceptance of triumph. That my friends is what makes phenomenal stand out from mediocrity.

How do I become phenomenal? ” I have to work, feed my family, and what little time I have left over is for rest from the daily challenges life throws at me. Life is hard.”

I think many of us have said something along these words in the past. Is you accept your place then you have settled on a life that can be legendary or fade away. The answer is simple. The true immortals make an impression on the next generation and the lessons they teach will carry over for many generations.

If you are the first man on the moon, you are immortal, but if you can teach you son to play catch and spent time with him on the swings, he will remember that as he grows up and passes these lessons onto his own children. You see, when the book of life is written, you have the potential to be as high on the ladder of greatness as Neil Armstrong, Theodore Roosevelt, and Charles Lindbergh.

So many times, we let the media dictate the value of life and it leads many to a state of depression.

Depression can suck the life out of you. It can take you to levels beyond repair without abandon or prejudice. It is a one of the most common diseases that is often overlook yet can be as deadly as the high profile bacteria and virus killers.

Eliminate the barriers that lead many to determine the value of importance. Burn the money, blind yourself from the fame and look right in front of you. You are a leader, a role model and most of all a future legend.

When you look in the baby blue eyes of a young child, ask yourself this, “Am I in the game?”