How to be extraordinary
20Sep.2017
What does it mean to be extraordinary?
To be extraordinary, we must do something beyond the usual, or ordinary. To be extraordinary, we must be exceptional or remarkable in how we think, how we act, and in what we do or say.
Being extraordinary is giving more when you don’t have to
Successful people try harder, give more, and do their best. There is a zone where excellence happens, and that is the difference between what most people will do and what can be done. Or, as Jimmy Johnson once declared, “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” Yes, just those five letters separate those who are ordinary from those who are extraordinary. That “extra” could be stopping to help someone when most do not, spending a bit more time to get something done right, or going out of your way to make someone feel good.
There is an old story about a small town with two butcher shops. People were always waiting in line at Melvin’s Butcher shop, but not at Walt’s Butcher Shop. This made Walt angry, for he could not understand why Melvin always had so many more customers than he did. Walt had the same quality meats that Melvin did, and matched his prices to the penny. Why, then, was Melvin so successful? Finally, Walt could not take it anymore—he had to know why people preferred Melvin’s shop over his. So he put up his apron, closed and locked his door, and walked over to Melvin’s shop.
When Walt arrived at Melvin’s Butcher Shop, he was dismayed to see a long line of people patiently waiting for their turn. Walt took a place at the back of the line, and watched. Melvin was happily taking orders behind the counter. He smiled and said hello to every customer as they stepped up to take a turn. Hmmm, thought Walt, I do that. After taking an order, Melvin carefully and precisely weighed the meat, just as Walt did. Then Melvin did something that astonished Walt: after carefully weighing an order for one pound of ground beef, Melvin added another scoop of ground meat to the order before wrapping it up.
“There you go Mrs. Martinez, that will be $2,” said Melvin.
“Thanks Mel,” the woman happily replied, “have a great day!”
Walt could not believe what he saw. Melvin gave her more than she asked for, but still only charged her for the one pound!
At first Walt thought that Melvin did something special just for Mrs. Martinez, but he soon saw that Melvin repeated this act of giving over and over again, for each and every one of his customers. Walt learned a valuable lesson that day:to be extraordinary, you have to give a little extra.
And, like Melvin the butcher, sometimes being extraordinary is not about doing something on a large scale. It can be in doing something small that goes above and beyond the norm. You can be extraordinary simply by exceeding someone’s expectations and giving more when you don’t have to.
Anyone can be extraordinary
I once heard someone say that they have never met an ordinary person. I agree. We are all different, yet extraordinary in our own way. More often than not, however, people act ordinary. They try to fit in, and in so doing, suppress that which makes them extraordinary. They keep their brilliance inside, mainly because they do not believe they have anything special to contribute. This is nonsense.Anyone can be extraordinary. You don’t have to become a great politician, a world-class athlete, or achieve fame and fortune to be extraordinary. You can be extraordinary at everyday things, and you can be extraordinary in many different ways. All you need to do is try your best. To paraphrase Dr. Wayne Dyer, you do not have to better than anyone else, you only need to try to be better than you were yesterday.
The path to becoming extraordinary
Success expert Napoleon Hill once wrote, “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” I would add: and if you cannot do small things in a great way, then start with just one thing, and do your best. Keep doing your best, and soon you will be doing many things well, both great and small. Try to do something extraordinary today, then try to do something extraordinary every day. If you keep doing extraordinary things, you will eventually become an extraordinary person. It is really not that difficult; it just takes practice and the desire to change to become a higher version of yourself. As Aristotle explained, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Every day, I try to be extraordinary by doing at least one thing exceptionally well. It can be the smallest of things, such as how I say hello to people, how I treat someone, or how I make them feel. Being extraordinary can also be in how I manage a meeting, how I communicate with someone, or in the questions I ask that might cause someone to think in a new direction. For me, being extraordinary is making a personal contribution that affects someone in a positive way. As the revered American poet Maya Angelou wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Being extraordinary is a choice
Every morning you awake with a blank canvas and the power to create your life anew once more. Every day you make choices that determine your life and your future. For example, you can choose to be an extraordinary spouse, parent, son, or daughter. You can choose to respect and love your spouse, and whether or not you will honor that love. You can choose to go to work, and you choose whether or not you will be extraordinary while you are there. You can choose whether you will be a good student and be open to possibility, or whether you will be closed-minded to opportunities to learn and grow. Every day you have the opportunity to make new decisions that will change the course of your life.
Fortunately, you can become extraordinary in your own way, and learn to do extraordinary things every day. Zig Ziglar declared that you do not have to be great to start, but you do need to start to be great. The good news is, it does not take much to get started.