Greatness is tough to live. But anything worth obtaining is usually difficult to do so. In this upcoming video series titled Raising an Ace, we – myself and my partner Mariam – will discuss our strategies and thoughts to guide our child Ace toward his greatness in life.

Below is our introductory video on the series:

– Defining greatness (00:35) – The purpose of Raising an Ace series (1:05) – Differentiating Ace’s version of greatness (1:35) – Positive pressure (2:01) – Chasing perfection, even if not attainable (2:50) – Looking within for ideas (3:45) – Our perspective; not experts (4:26) – Modeling most meaningful (4:48) – United drive for greatness (5:31) – Aiming for Mamba Mentality (6:33)

A key note is that greatness is a combination of a lot of different character traits – intelligence, work ethic, authenticity, toughness, open-mindedness, humor, optimism, and on and on. One’s life will for sure look different at different stages; at times, a career may be a singular focus. Other times, family may occupy most of one’s time, or a social life. Greatness is when one is proficient in a bunch of character traits, as well as when these facets in life are clicking on all cylinders. Our goal as parents is to guide Ace towards his greatness in life.

The final message is that the journey toward greatness is ongoing. The late and wise Kobe Bryant once emphasized that his former teacher told him to “Rest at the end, not in the middle”, and he kept that to heart for the rest of his life. Greatness is consistent; it is not overly-reflecting on past greatness because that is neglecting the current trajectory toward greatness. It is never ending. For example, Kobe did not settle for his past greatness as a basketball player when he retired. He continued it on post-playing days by writing children books, investing in companies, making films, coaching his daughter’s basketball team, and being a great model for his children. Kobe is at peace now and can rest because he is at the end unfortunately. Fortunately for you reading this, you are not at the end though & you have so much more greatness to give to the world. We hope this Raising an Ace video series will inspire those watching to stay persistent on their greatness journey.

Peace, love, & greatness!