3973: When the Pursuit of Greatness Does More Harm Than Good AND Forget Yourself by Lori Deschene of Tiny Buddha

Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Health & Fitness, Education, Mental Health, Self-improvement

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3973: Lori Deschene explores how the pressure to be “great” can lead to comparison, stress, and a constant need for validation, while shifting toward purpose allows for immediate meaning and fulfillment. She also highlights how letting go of self-focus, especially through truly listening to others, can deepen connection and bring a sense of calm presence. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/when-the-pursuit-of-greatness-does-more-harm-than-good/ & https://tinybuddha.com/blog/do-happy-forget-yourself/ Quotes to ponder: "When we strive for greatness we feel a sense that we need to make a difference someday when we focus on purpose we feel a sense that we can make a difference right now" "When we aim to be extraordinary we can get caught up competing and comparing as if what we're doing isn't good enough" "When you focus your energy on planning what to say next you don't completely hear what someone's saying meaning you respond to them without digesting their words first" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Optimal Living Daily, when the pursuit of greatness does more harm than good, and
0:07.1	forget yourself, both by Lori DeShane of Tiny Buddha.com.
0:12.0	Hello, old friend, I'm your narrator, Justa Mollick, reading you articles every single day of the
0:16.5	year to help you live a more meaningful life. There are no interviews on this show.
0:22.7	It's not really a typical podcast,
0:24.6	just me sharing some great content with permission from the authors, of course.
0:27.1	And I have two posts for you today,
0:28.4	so let's get right to them
0:29.7	as we optimize your life.
0:35.7	When the Pursuit of Greatness
0:37.2	does more harm than good by Lori DeShane of TinyBuda.com
0:41.4	Quote, Seek not greatness, but seek truth, and you will find both. Horace Mann. You're destined for
0:51.5	greatness. Don't settle for mediocrity.
0:55.9	You can be extraordinary.
0:58.7	Have you ever heard one of these motivating statements?
1:03.4	I see them all the time around the web, and while I understand the intention, I sometimes have mixed feelings about the implication.
1:06.2	We all want to make a difference in the world.
1:08.9	We all want to make some kind of impact, both to
1:11.0	contribute to mankind and to feel that our lives means something. It's a great big world out there,
1:16.9	and at times it can feel like we don't matter unless we're doing something huge. We might even
1:21.3	be tempted to label our lives as unworthy if we're not doing something that garner's attention
1:25.7	and admiration. This was the foundation
	...

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