Wannabee Great?
Greatness looks different to everyone. For some, greatness is an excellent physique or impressive career accomplishment. For others, it's the feeling they get when they see a good meme.
cannibalism pic.twitter.com/y1l6Ujzqwh
— living morganism 🌱 (@ok_girlfriend) January 26, 2021
Chef kiss! Now, that's greatness.
Every industry has its top-tier performers, AKA, the greats. How did they get there? Consistency, repetitive action and a clear goal driving them forward. Easy to write, hard to implement.
When starting The Other Comedy Company it was very important to us to define what greatness was going to mean for ourselves.
How did we even start to figure that out?
We Asked Ourselves The Right Questions
If you're asking yourself:
- How do I get rich?
- How do I get famous?
- How do I get more attention?
- How do I get noticed for my talent?
You're asking yourself the wrong questions. These questions will only ever lead back to you, which is a dead-end. If life was meant to be entirely selfish we would each have a planet to ourselves. Instead, it's our collective teamwork and combined efforts that drives towards real change. Change that is outside of our own ambitions but aligns with our passion.
If you're asking yourself:
- What changes do I want to see within my industry?
- How would I go about making those changes?
- How can I teach what I'm learning to others?
- How can I make a positive impact?
You're on the right track. Missional thinking forces you to think outside of yourself which kicks the creative process into problem-solving mode instead of opportunity-seeking mode. Opportunities come to those who build.
So how do we define greatness for ourselves?
We Gave Ourselves A Big Mission
As an independent Canadian entertainment company we wanted to make sure that in all we do; we're ultimately elevating Canadian comedian to global audiences. There are barriers in the Canadian comedy industry that we want to help demolish.
How do we demolish historic barriers? Open education, strategic partnerships, digital tooling and an abundance of grit. Acknowledging that it's a long road ahead helps us to circle back to our mission.
Greatness for us is defined by creating a positive sum comedy community Canada-wide that roots for each other's success and understands that no one has to lose for someone else to win. Creating products, platforms and opportunities to support each other while delighting audiences across the world.
With so much change in the world, we're focused on what doesn't change: People connect through stories.
Have that one big mission to use as your guiding light and enjoy all the side quests along the way.
That's the path to greatness.