Being OK with not being extraordinary (2021)
Actually, being extraordinary is something most people can do. Now, by definition that seems illogical. However, here me out. Most people tend to view extraordinary along a single dimension: really good at math, or really good at running. In this one-dimensional view, most people can&#x27;t be extraordinary.<p>However, you can be extraordinary in your own unique way. For example, running. You may not be the best runner, but you could have a lot of insight into running and a good writer at the same time, and thus be extraordinary at <i>writing about running</i>.<p>If you take the entire sum of your own unique talents, and find a way to combine them properly, you can become extraordinary simply by finding a new way of looking at the world, even if the individual talents you have are not outstanding compared to others.<p>Take programming as another example. You may be just a &quot;good&quot; programmer, a &quot;good&quot; teacher, but not necessarily outstanding at either. But maybe you have a third skill that will make you stand out when you are teaching programming. Maybe it&#x27;s your sense of humour, or your ability to put people at ease, or even a talent for drawing that comes out when you draw diagrams.<p>Being outstanding or extraordinary in my mind means combining everything you have to be inspiring, because the proximal&#x2F;end result of extraordinary really is just that: having the ability to inspire. Sometimes one-dimensional measurements like amount of money or raw strength measure that, but sometimes they don&#x27;t.