We all want to be great. Whether it's born in us or taught to us, it's pretty much a certainty that we want to be significant. No one ever thinks to themself, "Gee, I hope I live a totally obscure life." But the real trick is determining what to be great at. Some people want to be great athletes or great entertainers. Others want to be great entrepreneurs or just fabulously wealthy. But exactly how does one become great? Believe it or not, folktales haven't overlooked this aspect of life, but in fact have spoken on it a number of times. One very good example is "Momotaro" or "Peach Boy," a traditional tale from Japan.

There was once an old couple who had no children. One day while washing clothes in the river, the old woman saw an enormous peach floating along. She picked it from the river and took it home. When the old man came home and saw it, he was very pleased. But just as he was about to carve it so they could eat it, the peach split in half to reveal a baby boy. They named him Momotaro, Son of a Peach. Time passed, and Momotaro blossomed into a handsome teenager. He was taller than all others, and possessed of great strength and courage.

One day Momotaro told his parents that he wished to leave so that he could go to the island of the demons and there defeat them. These demons had continually raided the village, taking people and possessions. His parents were sad, but let him go. As Momotaro walked to the shore, he met a large dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, each of which joined him. Then they all climbed into a small boat and sailed to the island where they commenced fighting with the demons. The end result was that Momotaro and his companions defeated the demons, killing them all. Then they loaded the small boat with treasures from the demons' castle, freed the slaves, and sailed back home. When they landed, Momotaro was hailed as a hero, and the treasure he brought back enabled his family to live in comfort for the rest of their days.

At first blush this story doesn't say a whole lot about being great (unless you live near an island full of thieving demons), but it actually makes two very important points about achieving greatness. First is to look for a problem and solve it. Greatness, in its purest form, is achieved by bringing something valuable to others. We may talk of "great singers," "great athletes," or "great actors," but when we talk of people who are really great the list is much more selective and includes names like Martin Luther King Jr., Buddha, Gandhi, etc. These are people who looked at the world, saw something wrong with it, and went about rectifying it.

Second, and more important, is that you cannot achieve greatness by yourself. In the full story, Momotaro is actually a heavenly being sent to these kind, faithful people. But even this divine being takes helpers to the island to do battle with the demons. The same can be said of all other people who have achieved greatness, regardless of their field. Whether it be supportive parents, mentors, friends, benefactors, or even people who challenged them along the way by asking more of them, greatness was no accident. Achieving greatness was a collective effort by people who believed in the vision and the person who wanted to make it happen.

So, if you want to be great, look for a problem to solve, then surround yourself with people who will support you fully in solving it. The rest is by no means easy, but by staying true to the cause, you WILL get there.

Have a question, problem, thought, or just a comment? Want to know what fairy tales say about some other topic? Send it to me and I'll post it here.