Ordinary and Extraordinary

Recently I was visiting with a longtime colleague, and the topic evolved into the question on the lips of many in the ‘mid-place’ in their careers … “What do I really want to do after I make all the money I need to make? I want to do something really extraordinary with my life.”

Well, as most of you know, I have written on (and around) this topic for years and my perspectives are denoted in several Between the Lines posts and many of the  A Fine Line posts as well. Check them out – if you want to revisit my musings.

Today, I want to offer another commentary which I will credit to Jody Williams, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1997 for her work to ban landmines. In a recent excerpt from a book entiteld “This I Believe,” she dances around her unlikely path in becoming an activist, and what she believes separates the extraordinary from the ordinary in life and in our careers. She says:

“I believe that worrying about the problems plaguing our planet without taking steps to confront them is absolutely irrelevant. The only thing that changes this world is taking action. I believe that words are easy. I believe that truth is told in the actions we take. And I believe that if enough ordinary people back up our desire for a better world with action, we can, in fact, accomplish extraordinary things.”

Well said. So, let’s plant the flag. State the goal. Declare the intention. Then one step at a time – we can do it. What are we waiting for?!