Freddie Mercury meets George H. W. Bush

One wintry day in December, after watching Bohemian Rhapsody, and being inspired by it, I set out to show my respect to President George H. W. Bush as he lay in state in the Rotunda. While waiting in line for five hours combating 32° F weather in front of the majestic Capitol, I started to thinking. What then is personal greatness? How can an ordinary person achieve it? I concluded that the answer was a resounding yes to its possibility. I reflected upon the success of the glamor rock band Queen and, in particular, of its lead singer Freddie Mercury’s great musical talent and stage achievement.

Simultaneously, I thought about President Bush’s personal achievements. The two men came from drastically different backgrounds yet both achieved greatness in their own right. Their skills and intellect were oceans apart. Both men made a completely different mark on society. Both men, in the end, achieved the same thing. They lived the life they were meant to live.

They were no different from us. They found their own road map to personal greatness, and they started on their own personal roadmap fired with desire and passion.

What is a vocational road map?

Every road map is different, but there are a set of core principles that remain true for President George H.W. Bush and Freddy Mercury, as well as the rest of us.

You must know that your personal greatness lies deep your being. Only you can ignite this vast, untapped protentional. You must viscerally see this down into the core of your being. You just embrace this just as you breath the air of life itself. Both are invisible and untouchable. You breath as a matter of course. Understand there is greatness within you, that is natural too like breathing. Seize on this belief to light a fire under your passion.

When you embrace your potential, decide how you are going to serve others. Who is your audience? Map this out. Whether you are a mother who is influencing the destinies of their children; a singer who wants to evoke emotions in their audience by entertaining them; a president who lives a life of civic duty. Understand your audience and provide them with what they need.

Embrace the power of who you are and what you want. You must own it. Period. You become a unique force of nature that is as unique as your finger print. Be responsible for this unique power; it will help you attain your goals. It might take time for people to come around, but people respect authenticity. Hence you have the positive response of your audience, and you in turn, empower them with what you bring.

For everyone, this process starts at birth and continues until the day they die. There will be blips on the radar—some simple and uncomplicated, but others will be dark as despair, that will test your very soul. Those problems can be resolved--through perseverance and tenacity, enabling you to grow and expand. Hardship is a gift that provides for an opportunity to grow. In the end, hard times and adversity molds character. Our mental and moral qualities are honed and made sharper, reinforcing greatness and shaping how we serve others.

Just remember that life is a series of problems until you die, so roll up your sleeves and get into the fight called life and enjoy kicking ass. You will not live forever. So, light the fire in your belly and don’t look back. March forward always.

Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.

Trust in your own road map, and let your love shine brightly upon the ever changing world.