Great

The next time you think you have too much to handle, go read the story of Otto the Great. While he was trying to run an empire, he had to fend off conspirators—one was a son; another, his brother—foreign armies, and maverick dukes. There’s more. He had to defend one pope, depose another pope, and install a third pope, arrange multiple treaties with a neighboring empire, and ensure his son’s succession to the throne. Otto had a bunch of stuff on life’s plate, including the death of his first wife. He appears to have handled all the emergencies and daily problems relatively well. Maybe that’s why he’s called “Great.”

So, today you have six things to do. Yesterday, you had five. Tomorrow, you’ll have eight, or five, or three. Think of yourself as an emperor with an empire to run. You really don’t have time for any “wo-is-me-ing.” Tomorrow’s task will come as surely as yesterday’s and today’s tasks. Probably and unlike Otto’s, most of them aren’t life- or empire-threatening. Most likely, you don’t have a sibling or offspring plotting your death or exile. Of course, it is possible that you do have to handle a number of dire circumstances, but most of what comes along doesn’t rise to the level of the stuff on the old emperor’s plate.

Survey your empire. Be vigilant. Be active. Anticipate tasks and threats and handle them as they come. Know that your job as emperor (or empress) is your life’s work. In your own way, you, too, will be Great.