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Transcript

What Does It Mean to Be Great? · The Daily Writer

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider, where we share a lesson each day to help you cultivate the habits for creative success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: These lessons are inspired by great artists, authors, and thinkers, both past and present.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: What does it mean to be great?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's such a simple question, but when you dig a little deeper, it gets to the heart of an inner conflict we feel as writers.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: On the one hand, we want to help people.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: We care about others and their welfare.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: We know that our writing, our creative work, is a way to do that.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: On the other hand, we also feel a powerful impulse to be admired by other people.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: We see this impulse on reality TV shows every day.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Those programs are filled with people who just want their 15 minutes of fame.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: They are in love with the camera, the lights, and the knowledge that maybe just for a moment, they can feel like a celebrity.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: But are we so different?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything that separates us from those reality TV stars who crave a moment in the spotlight?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the answer is no.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: We're all prone to this addiction we like to call fame.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: So what's the antidote?
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: If we don't find greatness in fame or attention, where should we look?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Well, as it turns out, a teacher from ancient Israel helped shed some light on this question when he said, The greatest among you will be your servant, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Those, of course, are the words of Jesus.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Even if you're not a person of faith, you can see this principle play out all through history.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: The greatest artists, leaders, and writers are the ones who served their audience well.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Everything we write is in service to others.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Whether we're writing to entertain, inspire, or educate, it all comes down to serving people.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: As Ryan Holliday pointed out in his book, Ego is the enemy, we are our own worst adversary.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: But if we can look past ourselves and focus on serving others, we will be well on our way to authentic greatness.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for listening to the Daily Writer Podcast.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: We really appreciate your support and hope you enjoyed this episode.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can find more at DailyWriterLife.com.