Monday inspirational quote:

We must overcome the notion that we must be regular. . . It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre.”
~ Uta Hagen

Be extraordinary

I love this one! When you look at it this way, “regular” is the LAST thing you’d want to be!

When you think of people who stand out as exceptional, “regular” isn’t the word that comes to mind. Do you think Bill Gates, Mother Teresa, or Michael Phelps tried to be normal? That could never have gotten them to the levels they reached.

So why do so many of us try to be normal, to “fit in”? First, there’s the “people like people like them” aspect. If you want a group of people to like you, then try to emulate them. The more similar you are, the more they’ll like you. At least that’s the theory, and there’s certainly some truth to it. And we all want to be liked!

Second, there’s the “they can’t hate my {politics/religion/music/whatever} if it’s the same as theirs” aspect. If you don’t stand out, and blend into the crowd, you can avoid criticism or challenges. This is the safe thing to do — not always the right thing, but the safe thing.

The fact remains, if you ever want to get to extraordinary, you’ve got to get OUT of being “regular” first. You’ve got to reach beyond the safe and easy route. You need the confidence in yourself to brave the fact that people might resent you for not being normal. But if it was easy, everyone would do it — and then it would be “regular”!

So go ahead. Stretch. Reach for the stars. Dare to be extraordinary.

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I’m in the San Juan Islands, Washington state, right now, for our women’s Land and Sea Adventure. The islands here are so beautiful — definitely extraordinary, nothing regular about them!