Why do we settle for normal? We judge so much by comparing to this standard of normal, or as I like to think, average. If I think about the people in my life that are truly making things happen, making a difference, creating and growing, they are nothing like normal. They are extraordinary. I am so blessed to know so many of these originals. They are people that are doing what they do, even ordinary things like gardening, painting, making coffee, or cleaning homes in an extraordinary way. They do the little extra things that bring the people they serve to email me personally about how lucky I am to have them on my team. They are the ones that bring such a positive energy to what they do, no matter how mundane the task may seem to be.
In this instant feedback time we live in I get real time updates on any missteps we make, and I know that it is always easier for people to complain than it is to give praise. So when someone takes the time to let me know how amazing their experience has been I value it 1000% over any complaint. You know the people I am talking about, the housekeeper who goes the extra mile and organizes your drawer, the painter who meticulously tapes off the area he is not painting, the barista who remembers your name and your drink order. How about the gardener who remembers your favorite flowers and plants those in your garden? The dishwasher who comes to the front of the restaurant to help clean tables? The server who serves you with an authentically happy self in spite of how busy they are? It may be the cashier at your regular grocery store, who is so happy to be there it seems impossible.
I have so many of these people in my life that it amazes me as I sit here thinking about it. They are not the big movers and shakers that we think about when we think extraordinary. They are not running Fortune 500 companies nor do they aspire to. But they are catalysts for change nonetheless. They are taking what they do and stepping it up a notch. That is all it really takes to set yourself apart, just that step above the line out of average to begin your journey to extraordinary.
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” Roger Staubach