tonight’s audience participation

What Do You Think is the Biggest Obstacle in Achieving Greatness (and Happiness)?

19 Comments!

  1. LLoyd
    Posted May 11, 2012 at 9:24 pm |

    The only way I know how to answer that is ME! Like Abe Lincoln (not Barac) use to always say “A person is about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” I’ve never looked for greatness but if whatever I am doing I am doing with all my heart and gut passion I think the ‘greatnes’ just follows along.

  2. kinlaw
    Posted May 11, 2012 at 10:09 pm |

    Fear of trying for fear of failing; or simply accepting what life gives you, rather than deciding what you will take away from this life.

  3. Caged Insanity
    Posted May 11, 2012 at 10:10 pm |

    right now? The US government.

  4. Colonel Jerry USMC
    Posted May 11, 2012 at 11:04 pm |

    A small mind an a huge dick! The latter will convince you that the former is inveneral….Reverse the sizes and the latter will be the trickiest thing—evah!!!!

  5. Spin
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 1:37 am |

    I checked Committees only because Thou Shall Not Kill/Murder was not available.

    “Lead, follow or get out of the way”
    Committees kill this spirit.

  6. bocopro
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 2:20 am |

    On a global scale, that’d be Islam, with a close second being the UN.

    In the US, the biggest obstacle to everything is government, primarily the TSA and the EPA, with a close second being unions.

  7. Stick
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 4:40 am |

    It’s all between your ears.

    Get your mind right, & you can be happy on the back of a garbage truck.

    I never made any real money until I quit chasing it & did what I loved.

  8. Claire: pink pig barbarian, etc
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 6:20 am |

    __ Not having/Not living by your Values

  9. Alan outback bacon czar
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 8:10 am |

    Guv’mit.

  10. JoeBandMember®
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 9:49 am |

    A Satanist Federal Government.

  11. Freddie Sykes
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 11:49 am |

    Claire, anyone who can live up to their values has set the bar too low. Of course, you do not want to be like I because I am just too easy on my self with respest to my failings.

    SondraK, the biggest impediment in life is the idea that you cannot start working towards a goal until you have accomplished some other goal. You are always on the path to Happiness / God / Zen / Whatever; you just have to take a step. If the step is in the wrong direction, you are just on a new path and just have to take a step.

  12. DougM (jackassophobe)
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 5:23 pm |

    Biggest obstacle is believing you need to achieve what others consider greatness or happiness.
    I’ll never be great according to my own definition, so I don’t attempt it.
    Happiness is not a permanent state. It’s episodic. Enjoy the episodes.

  13. snap-e-tom
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 9:42 pm |

    Happiness is overrated, and I have no idea what the hell “greatness” means. For me, “comfort” is not an obstacle, it’s my primary goal.

  14. mech
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 7:48 am |

    Forbes started showing up in my real PO Box a couple of years ago and I’ve learned to really appreciate it, especially the lead editorials by Steve Forbes himself.

    If Mittens would take those pages and include that wisdom in his campaign, we’d all be a lot better off and more confident about the future.

    Wish I knew who sent me those subscriptions so I could express appreciation.

    Oh, comfort and procrastination.

  15. geezerette
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 12:52 pm |

    $$$$$$$$$$$ If the rich would pay more taxes I could be very great and really really happy. I blame the rich and Bush cause he’s rich with all the oil he has from the I rock war.

  16. Lance
    Posted May 14, 2012 at 8:23 am |

    Iz dis todaze ‘Porch Group Therapy’ session???

  17. Paladin
    Posted May 14, 2012 at 9:06 am |

    How greatness is defined varies from person to person.

    I do stuff that I hate, but I like the positive results.

    I do digital forensics. That means I get to slog through other peoples computers. Most of the exams I do involve exploitation of children in some form or another, so I see a lot of things that I don’t discuss among civil people. It could be easy to get distracted with money. (I barely clear 40K per year and see other people doing what I do for businesses in the six digit bracket -without the muck I have to dig through.) But I’ve helped get some nasty people away from kids for the long term. I don’t know if that’s great or not, but it’s what I’m doing.

    To me happiness involves striving for better, but being content with the lot that you’re given. It seems that a lot of people become discontented and unhappy and constantly want more when they already have so much.
    People should strive for more -for an improvement- but not so much that it ruins the peace that they have, or hurts the people around them.

    Oh, and don’t forget control freaks. Nobody likes to be controlled by a control freak. That goes for congress.

  18. mojo
    Posted May 14, 2012 at 9:37 am |

    Disposing of the bodies in an eco-friendly manner.

  19. Colonel Jerry USMC
    Posted May 14, 2012 at 12:14 pm |

    Mojo,

    In Vietnam in our jungle fights, we stripped the enemy, left C-rat salt & pepper packets for the tigers. Eco-friendly?

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