Make a Choice to be Great - John Bly, Entrepreneur, M&A Czar

John Bly is a mergers and acquisitions czar. The last time he was on the show, he reminded us that Accountability is not a four letter word and we ought to stop treating it like one. This time, he switches gears to talk about Happiness and Greatness. In his Paper Napkin Wisdom, John says: “Happiness and Greatness are a choice; choose both.” He says that Happiness and Greatness are daily decisions and that people don’t think about them like that. “People think greatness is defined by some specific thing,” says John, but he defines it as an individual decision; it’s not about how much money you have or how great your family is. Greatness is whatever you decide it is for you. If you’re living your life according to other people’s definitions of greatness, you’re not going to be happy. John says that Greatness and Happiness go hand in hand. He believes that people tend to be only really great at things that make them happy because they put real passion behind what they’re doing. He thinks that, too often, people say ‘yes’ to things that they’re not 100% invested in and as a result they inadvertently hold themselves back from Greatness. We have to remember that saying ‘yes’ to something is a choice and that saying ‘no’ to things is what makes you better at the things you do say ‘yes’ to. You do your best when you’re doing what makes you happiest, so you ought to stick to things where you’ll give 110% of yourself because that’s how you achieve greatness. John has different definitions of ‘Greatness’ for the different aspects of his life and he notes that they’ve changed over the years as his life has changed. He also warns that you can’t let your ego get in the way, either because people mistake your saying ‘no’ for being ego or because you’re operating under the misconception that what you’re being asked to do can’t be done without you. “Define greatness yourself, and be that,” says John. It’s a simple concept, but a powerful one. Listen to the conversation with John here:

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