Full of Greatness

Last night, Aine spent the night with her Grandma. I don't know what they did yet, but I know Aine was beyond excited. She called Grandma a few weeks ago requesting a date day. She was very specific that she wanted to spend time with her grandmother by herself and spend the night. It was fine if GrandDad was there, but none of her cousins or siblings. We arranged a time with Grandma, and Aine has been counting the days.

With Aine out visiting, Dave and I were able to spend time with the boys. After a long day Benton fell asleep very early, so we were down to just one child. It was so nice eating a late dinner together with only Eamon. We were able to just focus on him and really listen. He talked and talked and talked a bit more. The topic was Minecraft, of course. We talked about his favorite things to do on the game. He taught me a bit more about the new update that was recently released. Dave added his insights into the game. It was fantastic.

During the discussion I asked how many people play the game. Dave asked Eamon if he remembered. The figure is around 3.5 million people. I was astonished. Minecraft is a game that no large software company would have made, yet it is a fantastic game with a huge following. It was developed initially by a single developer in the course of 7 days. His name is "Notch," and Eamon thinks he is pretty cool. Notch now owns his own company, employs 6 or 7 people and is a multi-millionaire. It is estimated that his game made around $33 million dollars. I find this phenomenal as he did not have the backing of a major software publishing company or advertising and the game sells for around $10-13.

This discussion about the creator of Minecraft led to talk about knitting. Ravelry started when a couple(Casey and Jess) had an idea to create an online forum for fiber artists which also included methods for organizing and storing information about tools, patterns, yarn, etc. It is now a business which employs other people and is huge in the fiber community. It is also a platform for new knitwear designers to gain attention and market their wares. I just read about one of these knitwear designers online on a great blog I follow. She has published 10 designs and is only 13. And her designs are good. Casey, Jessica and Lily found something that excited them and are pursuing it just as Notch is pursuing his passion.

Dave and I then turned to thoughts of what our passions might be. What truly drives us and brings us happiness. What would we do if time and money were not factors. Eamon added bits and pieces to the talk. The three of us talked about finding what you really like and following that for success. We really want our children to know themselves, find their passions and enjoy what they do. To have the freedom to accomplish this feat is a great gift. If this happens, I know I will have done a good job.

So, now I am thinking and ruminating. What do I love to do? What skills do I have? What is my contribution? I have ideas and I think I am much closer to an answer than I was several years ago. I am more comfortable with who I am and continue to learn and expand my knowledge daily. I think reading and knowing about others who have followed and shared their greatness on many different levels has helped. We are full of opportunity, I just need to figure out how to find my greatness and share it.

Today, ask yourself, am I doing what I love in some part of my life? What is your greatness. (Share it if you want. I would love to know!)