Pursue Exordinary

"Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be extraordinary.

"In 2004, management guru Tom Peters chose this quote from The Fred Factor as one of his favorites of the year.  The statement is simple but true.  Whether you are encouraged, taught, rewarded, or recognized for being extraordinary, at the end of the day it is a chose you have to make.  No one else can make it for you--not your employer, not your spouse, not your friend.  It's something you have to pursue yourself.

"So what's the point of exerting extra thought and effort into being extraordinary?

"You will receive many benefits from being extraordinary.  But after studying extraordinary individuals and organizations for more than twenty-five years.  I've identified four of the most powerful benefits.

"1. Extraordinary brings us delight....That is why stories of the extraordinary go viral.  They are not just unusual--they are inspirational.  We want to share the delight with others.

"2. Extraordinary sets us apart.  Goethe said there are so many echoes and so few voices.  Many resources, it seems are undifferentiated commodities that we could get from anyone, anywhere, anytime.  Employees who offer nothing different from other employees are interchangeable--and they likely won't go far in their careers.

"3. Extraordinary defends our position....If consumers can get better service or value elsewhere, they'll abandon the inferior for the superior without giving a second thought to loyalty. 

"4. Extraordinary determines our happiness and success.  A life well lived is the sum of extraordinary effort, extraordinary relationships, and extraordinary results.  There's nothing wrong with ordinary if that's all we aspire to.  The problem, as I see it, is that many people would like to be extraordinary but fear disappointment, so they settle.  Normal becomes enough--not because it is desirable, but because it is a safer alternative to the pursuit of the extraordinary. 

"Pastor and author Bill Hybels says, 'Personally, I've never understood inactivity.  why a person would sit when he could soar, spectate when he could play, or atrophy when he could develop is beyond me."

"The good news is that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary isn't as big as you might think."  - Mark Sanborn in Fred 2.0: New ideas on how to keep delivering extraordinary results.
Imagine what could be done if we all pursued extraordinary!   It would be a joy to be living on this earth, not because people would just be trying to take for themselves as much as they could but would be interacting well with other and giving to them as well in kindness, and service.  Doing the command of loving ourselves and others.

Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado.  She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928