There is a quiet tragedy that plays out in the lives of millions; the tragedy of the average appetite. Most people move through their days hoping for the best but settling for whatever is handed to them. They wait for doors to open, for opportunities to fall into their laps, and for success to arrive like a scheduled bus.
But as content creator and strategist Eric Gugua pointed out in his essential lessons for the “life of the 20s Audit,” life does not work on a delivery system; it works on a response system. One of his most profound insights is that life responds to your appetite.
We must realize that our current reality is often just a reflection of what we have been willing to tolerate. If you want to build and achieve true personal mastery, you must first expand your hunger; you must develop an appetite for greatness.
The Appetite of Demand and Supply
In economics, we are taught that supply follows demand, and now allow me to put it like this: in the physics of the soul, the same rule applies. If you only demand enough to survive, life will only supply the bare minimum.
Eric Gugua’s observation that many people only find out too late that life was waiting for their command strikes at the heart of stewardship. We often think that being content means having a small appetite, but true contentment is being happy with what you have while remaining hungry for what you can become.
An “appetite for greatness” is not about greed; it is about capacity.
- If you have a “cup” appetite, you can only hold a cup’s worth of blessing.
- If you have a “reservoir” appetite, you can hold enough to sustain an entire community.
Greatness is a burden of responsibility, and if you do not develop the appetite for the work, you will never be trusted with the reward.
The Danger of the “Small Ask”
Why do so many of us settle for small goals? Usually, it is a defense mechanism against disappointment. If we do not ask for much, it does not hurt as much when we do not get it.
But trading your reason and your potential for the safety of belonging to the average crowd is a slow death. When you set small goals, you are not being realistic; you are being fearful. And so, Eric Gugua urges us, especially those in their prime, to work towards bigger things. This requires a shift in Intellectual Humility. You must be humble enough to admit that your current goals are too small for the God-given potential inside you.
The Sequence of Success
One of the biggest killers of a great appetite is perfectionism. We want to be great, but we are not willing to be “bad” on the way to greatness.
And so, Eric Gugua’s third lesson is a tactical masterpiece: “Don’t be afraid to do it badly or wrong the first time.” Failing is not always the opposite of success; it can be the first step in the sequence of success, but that is only if you continue to learn and keep going.
When you have an appetite for greatness, you see failure differently:
- The Average Mind: Sees a mistake and says, “I am not good at this. I should stop.”
- The Great Appetite: Sees a mistake and says, “This is the price of admission. I am one step closer.”
And this aligns perfectly with the article I wrote some months ago, Virtue’s Opportunity concept. Your challenges are not there to stop you; they are there to see if your appetite is real. If you can not handle the bad first draft, you do not deserve the great final version.
The Friendship Filter: Fueling the Hunger
Your appetite is contagious, and so if you hang around people who are satisfied with “just enough,” you will eventually lose your hunger.
And this is why Gugua insists on being brutal about your friendships. The people you surround yourself with act as the ceiling of your potential. If your friends are constantly complaining about the rock they are pushing, you will eventually stop seeing the Diamond in the Rock.
To maintain an appetite for greatness, you need a Herd, just as Apostle Emmanuel Iren said in a video I recently listened to, which inspired the article I wrote yesterday, Hebrews 10:25: Why fellowship is a tactical necessity. And so, again, to maintain an appetite for greatness, you need a Herd that pushes you to run faster. You need friends who make your big goals look like their warm-up sets.
It is no secret that friends play a significant role in determining the direction and quality of our lives. Almost everyone universally agrees upon this statement, and there are plenty of scientific studies to support it. The problem is very few people take action on this knowledge. Fear of judgment can make it easy to stay connected to people we don’t want to be around, which could significantly impact our lives than we realize.
I have met more people than I can recall in my entire life. It can be so stressful to meet new people. It’s so stressful to give your energy to people you are excited to see. Then, the next thing you know, they are gone, and you never hear from them again. People experience this all the time. These short-term interactions disappear into thin air and become distant memory.
Continue Reading: Be Extra Picky About Your Friends, It’s Not Selfish
Healthy Comparison: Looking Up, Not Over
Finally, to sustain an appetite for greatness, you must master the art of Healthy Comparison.
Most people use comparison to feel bad about themselves; they look at someone successful and feel envy. But Eric Gugua suggests a different set of “glasses.” Use comparison to learn.
Do not compete with the person you are supposed to be learning from. If someone is ten years ahead of you, their success is not and should not be a threat; it is a menu. It shows you what is possible; it expands your appetite, and it shows you that if they could do it, “Yes, even you” can do it.
Read Also: It Takes What It Takes: The Stoic Truth Behind Greatness
Read Also: Protect the Flame: The Accountability of a Life on Fire
Read Also: Why True Authority Prefers Appeal Over Command
Conclusion
As you finish reading this, take a Character Audit of your current life. Look at your bank account, your relationships, your health, and your career.
Most of what you see is a result of your appetite. You have what you have because you were willing to stop there.
Eric Gugua’s advice is a wake-up call: Life is waiting for you to get hungry. It is waiting for you to stop being afraid of doing things badly and start working toward things that are BIGGER!
Do not wait for greatness to find you; develop the appetite, pay the price of the sequence, and demand more from yourself than the world ever will. Your life will never be bigger than your appetite, so stay hungry.
