Finding Your Greatness

Today I was moving stuff from one office to another and I stumbled upon one of my favorite therapy interventions. It’s called a story stick. We all know that we have our own unique story but it’s so interesting looking back and seeing how my story has shifted throughout the years from stick to stick. If you want to create a story stick, find a piece of wood (1 x 2 or a 1x 4) of any length and material. I encourage the use of the craft wood that is lighter so no one can get hit with it.  You then paint on the stick. You can use designs, quotes, symbols, your favorite lyric, your favorite color (mine always have a ton of glitter!). It’s a fun and creative way to identify the things that make up who you are.

The story stick I stumbled upon just had a quote, no symbols- just the quote “never be surprised when greatness is expected of you.” When I created this story stick, I was in graduate school and working with children who had lived through tough experiences. There was so much uncertainty in their lives. Some of them did not know where they were going to be sleeping that night, some did not know what safety looked like and others simply wanted to experience comfort. Look at where we are now; we want to experience comfort within the current pandemic, we want to know that we are safe from harm, and although we may know where we are sleeping tonight, we still have unanswered questions about when we get to see our friends again, when we get to go back to shopping in person again, or when our daily activities seem normal again.

Now, this is a time where greatness is expected!  Greatness looks different to everyone. We are all not expected to be the next Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs, but greatness is important. I look at the people who have really stepped up during this crazy time and I think “Wow! That’s greatness right there!” The people who are turning their work in on time, the people who are continuing to push through with online learning, the people who are helping their community, the people who are checking on their friends, the people who are taking time for self-care. That’s greatness! We all have the ability to be great, we all have the ability to be marvelous, we all have the ability to reach for the stars but are you stepping up to the plate? Are you taking the time to really focus on your personal greatness and your potential?

As I sit here writing this, I have had to change the way I’m sitting multiple times to accommodate my crawling daughter, I have sung silly songs to her while writing this, I have made phone calls while she screamed, and I have taken a dance break to help her calm down. To me, this is my greatness because I have completed my tasks. It may be chaotic and more challenging than sitting in my cozy office on campus, but this is perfect for right now. So remember, even in the chaos, you can find your greatness.