My drive to work everyday, for example. I would love for it to be a very normal thing - no exciting twists and turns and slides nor the 2 hour traffic jams. I would prefer that Manchester United always wins when playing Football and India is always successful in a Cricket match.
On the other hand, I cannot, but be amazed at the number of extraordinary events that take place around us on a daily basis.
Take for example, the case of the new Miss America for the year 2014. I usually have no interest in beauty pageants. I will keep my reasons, for not having any interest in events like these, to myself.
The popularity of the event had less to do with the event itself, but more with the person that won. The parents of the girl that won are of Indian origin. She, on the other hand, undeniably, is as American as it gets.
It is also neither new nor important (it might be; I am just not sure if I should give it more relevance than it deserves) that she faced racism after winning the "crown" on social networking websites.
What is extraordinary, however, is how well she controlled the situation. She celebrates her "Otherness" with aplomb and proved to the world, by her actions, that the view held by a small group of ignorant individuals cannot, and must not, represent the beliefs of a nation.
My post on celebrating "Otherness" appears here.
This was a Miss [any country] contest. Stereotypically, you look good, answer a few questions and talk about world peace. This wasn't supposed to teach people how to handle racism and negativity. It did. Well done, Ms. Nina Davuluri.
On the other side of the "pond", José Mourinho, the self proclaimed "Special One", is fighting Chelsea's apparent ordinariness after the first outing of the season. I am sure that this will soon become a non-issue and Chelsea will turn around their fortune quickly enough. Why? That is because both Mr. Mourinho and Chelsea Football Club are extraordinary.
Just like Nina and José, there are extraordinary people that we might meet everyday. People with accomplishments and stories and an odds-defying attitude.
What is so different about these people? Here is what I think:
- There is a very deep rooted hunger to be successful in what they do.
- They work really hard to attain their goals. Very hard.
- They surround themselves, usually, with people that will help them get better - almost daily.
- They listen well.
- They take action, again usually, after giving what they are about to do a lot of thought.
- They do not get distracted by things and events that are out of their control.
- They can adapt to changing conditions.
- Neither their time, nor their thoughts nor their actions are ever wasteful.
I do not know what our son will become once he grows up. Honestly, I don't even know what I will be doing some years from now. I really don't think anyone really knows.
We all continuously work towards marking off some things from our life's to-do list. What I truly hope for, both for my son's and my sake, is we take an inspiration from extraordinary beings and fight a raging battle against ordinariness and never ever give in to being normal.
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