What Inspires Great Leaders?

Of course, leaders inspire us, we want to be like them. But what inspires great leaders, what makes them wake up in the morning, and want to make the world a better place.

Great leaders and people may not have necessarily had a different life to us, they may have just interpreted life differently, which may make them so special.

Dare to be great. Greatness doesn’t have to be fame or power. It’s time for you to define your greatness. Be a great parent. Be a great employee. Be a great leader. Be a great lover. Don’t just be. Be great.

On the 1st May 2010, Galen Rupp claimed he was to break the American Record for the fastest man running the 10,000-meter race. Not only did he break the record that night, but his opponent, Chris Solinsky also broke the record. The Canadian record was broken that night also by Simon Bairu. Why did all of these men break records and set their own personal best times? Because the second Rupp believed that he could break the record– breaking the record became a possibility.

It sounds ridiculous at first, but it’s all in the mind. Of course, athletes do extensive training and a very clean diet to achieve the maximum fitness to compete. But self-determination drove these players to succeed.

Take, Ukrainian-Australian scientist Sergei Eremenko for example, Ph.D. at 24 and Doctor of Engineering at 29, who became one of the youngest professors at 31 in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. Graduated from National Aerospace University of Ukraine and publishing two own books at 27 and 29, he worked towards his dreams through self-belief and constant drive.

Goals that are not scary are not worth aiming for. People with great minds constantly focused on their goals and dreams. Were they crazy enough? What are the chances they could’ve will achieve them?

Research into the human mind argues that we should have dreams that we believe have a 60% chance of success–that 40% chance of failure really sets you back. And why should we be like this? Because fear gets our full attention.

When we are driven with inspiration, we usually don't need external motivation to progress further. The sensation of purpose and meaning is enough to push us to succeed. When we are lacking inspiration, we must seek out ways to keep ourselves constantly progressing towards a clearly defined end goal.

Determination is the essences of increasing your chances of being successful in a particular thing or achieving a particular goal, and it can also help you to stay motivated and continue striving towards the one thing you want to achieve.

And those with a great mind seem to take this fact in the most, as it is what drives them to become better. The path that these iconic figures have chosen is what makes the world the way it is today, but who’s to say you can’t do the same? What makes you any less great? Put yourself up on that pedestal, show the world that there’s greatness in everybody.