Unless you are truly the first person to do a particular thing, which is extremely rare but possible, then everything you’ve ever dreamed of doing, or being was once somebody else’s dream first. It sounds cynical I know but think about it. Have you ever heard the phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants”? I’m betting you have, but in our case these giants are men and women not too vastly different from you and I.
Take Astronomy for instance. Galileo’s theories, discoveries and observations were the basis upon which so many other peoples careers and theories were built. It was the work done by Galileo, and others, that inspired them to dedicate their lives to watching the skies at night.These other people were, you guessed it, standing on the shoulders of the giants like Galileo that came before them.
It’s the same way with everything from baseball to politics. How many baseball players owe their careers to the trail blazed by Jackie Robinson? And if you think about it, it wasn’t all that long ago when the thought of a black man occupying the oval office wasn’t given any real credence, and look at where we are now. Pick your field of study and unless you’re one of the truly lucky ones that gets to blaze the trail, you’re following in someone else’s footsteps.
The same holds true with social media. Every one of us in social media now owe much of what we know to the Chris Brogan’s (@chrisbrogan), John Jantsch’s (@ducttape) and others that came before us. We’re standing on their shoulders, and their shoulders are huge and the trail they blazed is wide. They stood on the shoulders of giants that came before them. The men and women who ignited their passions and inspired them to dare to dream, and dream big.
We all have to stand on the shoulders of giants sometimes, and sometimes we have to be the giants. We’re each of us the giants when we choose to mentor someone or share what we know with others who want to learn. We’re each of us giants when we give of ourselves and our talents to help those less fortunate than ourselves without expectation of fortune or fame. So, the question before you right now is simply this; how big are your shoulders?
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Jeff,
While I understand your point and premise I guess I look at it slightly differently. I like to think I build on the foundation the trail blazers have created. Blogging for example is not new. All either of us can do is bring our unique perspective to the game. Hopefully over time we create something so unique that it becomes a category unto itself. Then, we are the ones laying that little part of the foundation for others to build upon.
-Jim
PS – Thanks for the kind tweet about you standing on my shoulders. I’m standing on yours too – without you I would not have been part of #cwismc.
Jim I completely understand your point, which is why I think we all need to be giants sometimes.
I like to think that the main point I was getting at is that you, me anyone we don’t have to be “special’ to be a “giant”. Historically most of the “giants” we talk about are everyday people. They put their pants on one leg at a time just like I do. What makes them exceptional is the passion and the dedication they put into whatever it is that they do. That’s where they elevate from just being ordinary to being art.
For you it’s color, and printing, for me it’s Twitter, and HTML with a side of CSS thrown in for fun. That’s how and sort of why you’re one of my giants. You’re my giant in that you mentor me in ways you don’t know. You share business insights from a life of doing it. From a life of getting knocked down and getting right back up.
I like to think I am a giant because I try to encourage people to dream, and try new things. Take chances, don’t ask “what if”, live a little. Be a kid again, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. I’m a giant because I mentor a student programmer right now where I work who is rapidly on their way to being my better, but for now I can share my knowledge, and my passion and get them excited for the future.
Our views aren’t so far apart you and I, and I’ll bet if you think about it, there was that one person that to this day still stands out as a central figure in where you are today, and that person is your giant.
I found my giant kind of late in life. When I met him earlier this year it changed everything for me. You named him above and yes he’s a very normal yet exceptional person I truly enjoyed sharing a beer with.
I know what you mean. My life completely changed at #unGeeked in May which is where I met both you, and him. As well as a lot of other truly awesome giants. I just regret I didn’t have a camera to get a picture with me and him.