Greatness takes more than One

It had been my dream (for as long as I could remember) to see the world’s biggest, most vibrant and artistic Carnival Parade in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.  When I finally got there in March 2019, not only as a spectator, I also paraded with one of the Samba Schools’ costumes on the opening night.  Oh my gosh…, can you imagine? I was at awe for days, pinching myself if it was real!  No words can describe my experience… the excitement, beauty, artistry, and every little detail that went into this once a year eventso magnificent, unique and memorable.

Each time I looked at the photos and reflected on my unforgettable experience at Rio Carnival, I was reminded of a story that I’d read from my favorite book ‘the 21-day consciousness cleanse’ by Debbie Ford. I shared this story every so often to remind people (including myself) that EVERYONE matters and that greatness takes more than one person.

Just to give you an idea how this story came about… think about how you would give a 12 years old boy an idea about his special place in this big world and the importance he would play in the future? This religious man was so brilliant. He had this boy (called ‘Beau’) imagined… that he was in a concert hall listening to a symphony orchestra playing classical music. He had him imagined the multiplicity of events that must take place for an event of this magnitude to happen – from the publicist to the people who sell tickets, from the production crew to the valet parking, from the people who wrote the music to the ushers to the seats.  On stage, the conductor and all the orchestralmusicians playing different instruments from the big cello to the small metal triangle. Off the stage, the crew behind the scenes and the poster boy who put up the posters, the janitor who cleaned the seats and many more: each plays a humble yet irreplaceable role.  Every detail combined makes the event a magical experience.

This story illustrated a very important point: the roles we play in life may not be earth-shattering. Each person’s contribution (even if seemingly small) – is what makes the difference.  It doesn’t just stop there the ripple continues to impact others

Whenever we do something good, it’s only the beginning of the next good deed. Receiver of the good deed continues to pass on to the next and the cycle is infinite.  We are all connected.  We are all intertwined. Greatness takes more than one.