Extraordinary

We have been lied to.

We have been told that we are special just because we live and breathe. That all our actions provide equal and meaningful weight across all humanity. That nobody can tell us this or that because we are each discovering our own truths every day.

This has manifested itself in a number of ways. Participation trophies and medals are at an all time high. College campuses have become houses of affirmation rather than places of learning. Children are being taught to "be yourself" and expect to be automatically accepted and loved by everybody.

This is dangerous thinking. And it's dangerous because it's just...

Not...

True.

It should go without saying that if everybody is special then nobody is special. If everything is truth then nothing is true. If everybody should be loved for who they are then that means that growth and improvement have no place in society anymore.

The danger in this sort of thinking is that it fosters an environment of entitlement. Instead of earning respect or love or honor, people are being cultivated in an environment that says you should automatically get that no matter what. That you are entitled to high self esteem. But what is neglected is that even those who would hope to foster this environment still play the game of defining truth in their own way. After all, if my truth contradicts your truth, somebody has to be wrong, right?

Millennials easily get the worst wrap for this, and understandably so. We are the most visible generation for having grown up in the technology age, but the reality is that this is an issue that far surpasses the millennial generation. After all, we didn't come out of the womb this way; we were raised this way.

But it doesn't do any good to point fingers of blame at anybody. Blame isn't going to fix the problem. What's done is done, and our only choice now is to move forward.

Speaking of moving forward, there is hope. We aren't doomed to a society of entitlement, nor is greatness an impossibility.

The title of this post is "Extraordinary" for a reason. Where I do not believe greatness is something automatically bestowed upon people, I do believe everybody has the capacity for greatness. Everybody has the ability within them to aspire to do wonderful, extraordinary things.

What's different is a shift in "e" words. Instead of being "entitled" to something, we have the capacity to "earn" something. It embraces reality in reality's terms and understands that because differences exist in the world, we can still make a difference. It's just going to require some work to do so.

Here's something we need to keep in mind, however: you don't have to be great at a corporate level to be extraordinary. Can we aspire to a level of greatness that affects millions of lives across the world? Yes, absolutely. But the reality is that most of us will never reach that level of impact. Statistically speaking, we will most likely never do anything more than the average person.

That doesn't mean our lives don't matter. Think about the people that have influenced your life the most. Of course, there are the folks like Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi that made radical shifts for all humanity, but those are exceptions to the rules. But each and every one of us can name people that have had major influences on our lives for the better.

A parent. A close friend. A professor. A pastor. A boss at a small company. A leader in the community. Even a son or a daughter.

These are the people we should be aspiring to emulate. As great as it is to impact people on a corporate level, most of us would probably point to one of these individuals as having the most positive influence on our lives. This is definitely something we have the capacity for doing.

Every one of us can read a book to a small child.

Every one of us can volunteer at a local nonprofit.

Every one of us can be an excellent parent.

Every one of us can pass down bits of wisdom to the next generation.

Greatness is not an impossibility.

In these ways, we can be extraordinary.