Mahatma Gandhi, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein . and the list of greats continues. Did Albert Einstein know that he was destined to change the world through his exploration of science? On bright, sunny, lazy days, did Einstein imagine that he would discover ideas in science that seemed unfathomable, or that he would be considered one of the greatest scientists the world has ever had?

Did Isaac Newton know that his laws of physics would still be relevant today-and studied throughout the entire world? Did Shakespeare realize that he was going to be considered one of the greatest writers in history? Did Gandhi know that he would bring independence to India? When he was in college, did he think of bringing independence to India? Did Martin Luther King, Jr., know that he would lead the Civil Rights Movement? Did the people who are remembered today know they were leaving such an enormous legacy? When they were children, did they know that they had these great deeds to commit later in life? Did they know they were capable of greatness?

To many of these questions, I think the answer is simply-no. I don’t think any of the greats who are remembered by society in history and knew they were capable of such enormous accomplishments. I think only in retrospect does one realize his or her accomplishments. But greats seemed to always seize opportunities that were offered to them.

What if Martin Luther King, Jr., didn’t make the “I Have a Dream” speech because he was scared of what others would say? What if he hadn’t believed in himself and his message? What if Newton had not pondered the simple observation of an apple falling-observations that each of us make every day? What if Gandhi had not thought that one person could make a difference-that one person could not bring independence to an entire country?

The greats who have come before us have shared one important attribute: confidence. They have all been confident in who they are and who they want to become. They have all had confidence in their ideas and thoughts. These greats are characters of the past, though. There is no fruitfulness in pondering what would have happened had they not done something.

The real argument is.

What if a future president of the United States is sitting amongst us right now? That person does not know-for all I know it could be you; yes you, the one reading this article-you could be the future president. Are you taking advantage of every opportunity before you? What if you are not taking advantage and therefore won’t be able to become who you were destined to be? The truth is, not a single one of us knows what will happen next. We don’t even know what will happen in the next second. What we each know is what we have done in the past and what we are doing in the present. We each need to realize that what we do right now shapes what we will do later. So right now, do everything that you want to do.

Each one of us is filled with greatness. We should not be scared or worried about what other people think. Each one of us should have confidence in who we are, who we want to become and, most importantly, our ideas. In this way, we will all be great. Granted, not each one of us can be famous, but being famous is not necessary in the path to becoming great. Being great can mean being a great friend, a great sister, a great son, a great community contributor; ultimately being great means being a great person. So take every opportunity that interests you because who knows, 20 years from now, you could be amongst the list of people at the top of this article.

Samiksha Tarun is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.