I try not to write much self-serving content or work that panders to millennials. I think it does us a disservice. But today I want to talk about being exceptional and the unreasonable expectations we put on ourselves.
I have struggled most of my young adult life with the idea of being exceptional. Despite being 6'2" I have a bit of a Napoleon complex — I want to be remembered, to be a defining figure. I constantly grasp with the size of the world, it's 7 billion people and my place in it.
It's easy to get lost, anxious and overwhelmed. That is, to feel quite unexceptional. Something I am starting to learn (if not accept, yet) is that to be exceptional is not reserved for the most famous people in the world, nor is it reserved for high salaries or prominent and visible jobs, like CEOs and movie stars. To be exceptional is to stick out for doing something at a very high level, not necessarily when everyone can see.
My high school teachers were exceptional educators. My college professors are as well. Community activists and organizers are exceptional at what they do. People who drive across the country with nothing but a van and some gas money are exceptional—they are seeking a type of journey that many people aren't. Most people don't know their name, but their community does. I know I do, and I recognize their talent and how brilliant and wonderful they are. That should be enough.
Yes, Barack Obama is exceptional. So is Bill Gates and Jennifer Lawrence and Idris Elba (two of my favorite actors), and many many other people whose names everyone will remember.
Now some will argue that if everyone is exceptional, then no one is. I suppose you could make that argument. We are not all exceptional in the same way. It is the unique way in which we do something spectacular that makes us exceptional.
The whole world probably does not know your family's name. I know they do not know mine. But some do. I do. And let me tell you, as I am sure you would say about your family. My mom, my dad, my sister, and everyone in my family are exceptional people. In work and in family, they are one of a kind. I am just now starting to believe that I am too. That if they know my name, my story, my life, I will be exceptional.
So here is your corny, cheesy, motivational quote for the day. Put in bold, just for you.
Whatever you choose to do, you can be an exceptional human being. Everyone doesn't have to know your name. Just know you're someone's hero, even if it's your own.
