I was lying in a hot bath (which is for me, a daily
shower person, extraordinary) reading Vogue Business (which I haven’t read in
more than 10 years) and saw the headline “Something Extraordinary Daily”.
Wow! My creative brain was ready to grab the ball and
run with it. But my boring yet sensible left-brain asked “What is
extraordinary? Can you do that EVERY day?”
Not to be outthought, my creative brain tossed me out
of the soothing warmth (I was suffering from muscle soreness due to a new
workout last week – here we go again – extraordinary.). What can I do and think
to flame my EXTRA out of the ordinary?
Is this just a mental deal, I contemplated. My brother
says I have his DREAM LIFE, which surprised me. What’s so special about my
life? That’s why I feel like I need this Extraordinary Challenge – to get me
out of any complacent rut I might be in.
I really want to LIVE MY BEST LIFE!
Yes, I travel to exotic places and take long trips
several times a year. I’ve experienced Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Myanmar,
Vietnam, Bali, Hong Kong, Italy, France, Prague, Austria, Scotland, Ireland,
Britain and more. I’ll be going
back to New Zealand this Christmas and take an overland tour. Last year, I was
in Singapore, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand but lots of that was on a
ship stopping at important ports. I slept in a typical Japanese hotel on the
floor. I learned to meditate and
practice yoga in India.
I am an American living in Germany. I bought a house
in Florida but sold it the next year because I didn’t want to retire. I’ll be
doing seminars at other German destinations and plan to look around while
there.
I can speak two languages fluently and am working,
albeit inconsistently, on Italian. French is still limping. I’ve written books and developed
several careers.
I decided at 65 that I don’t need to retire to have
the Dream Life. So I keep working.
I am still not completely sure what my Dream Life
should be. Perhaps seeking the Extraordinary is a key.
To make things easier and more practical, I deemed EXTRAORDINARY
something that I don’t do every day or haven’t done at all.
Today, I plan
to get 6,000 steps on my fitness tracker in one hour.
I want to write about
the EXTRAORDINARY subject on this blog.
(check!)
I want to read a book in
one day (definitely not
a fiction book). I’ll be doing lots of skimming here.
I want to put something
together. Actually, I did
that yesterday. I assembled a
flip chart to hold my yearly vision boards. They were rolled up in a corner for
three years and now I can revisit my goals, achievements and visions of the
last 10 years. Plus, I immediately cut out the headline “Something
Extraordinary Every Day” and pasted it on my new Dream Board.
I want to cook up a
completely new recipe.
That might be good for tomorrow when the stores here in Germany are open again.
I want to draw a picture
and just use crosshatching for values instead of my favorite blending tool.
And so it goes.
These tips might be helpful to attract your attention
to the extraordinary in your life:
Pay attention. When you are distractedly staring at some sort of
monitor, it’s impossible to notice the extraordinary things around you and how
you feel about your life. Unplug, look up and be present.
Be grateful. Feeling and expressing gratitude will help you stay focused on the
magnificent happenings of your day to day life.
Stop comparing yourself to others. Someone will always have more
or less than you. There will always be someone who is better or worse at what
you do. Even your past and future cannot be measuring sticks for your life
today. Keep your eyes on your own paper.
Let go. Don’t be afraid of space and the absence of all the things you think
you need to be happy and secure. Less things to care for, less personal
emotional baggage to suffer from, etc.
Enjoy unfilled space. Clear out the clutter and the excess. You need space
and room to pay attention to what matters most.
Slow down. The extraordinary life you’ve been waiting for is happening right now. Don’t
wait until you retire! Don’t wait another minute! While you are speeding around,
making plans, keeping up and getting by, your extraordinary life is patiently
waiting for a hearty welcome. Slow up your pace and look around. Perhaps come to a complete stop and
fully appreciate what is right in front of your nose.
Enjoy tiny marvels. Extraordinary isn’t always in the grand gestures and
big impressive changes or events. Enjoy small pleasures and find love in the
little stuff.
Write it down. Keep a journal to record some of the extraordinary
things in your daily life. Maybe just a Haiku if time is limited. This will be
a reminder to notice and the more you observe, the more you will perceive.
Act like a tourist. You might get used to your surroundings and daily
events and forget about the extraordinary parts. Be a tourist in your own life and see things for the first time. Remember how that view used to
wow you, or how the way someone treated you used to make your heart race. I
like to walk around, gazing at well-kept gardens. There is something different each season.
Be extraordinary yourself. The best way to live an extraordinary life is
to be extraordinary. Be extraordinary in how you treat people, including
yourself. Be extraordinary in how you choose to spend your time (maybe it won’t
be hours of surfing or TV-binging). Be extraordinary through your thoughts,
words and actions. Keep learning and expanding your horizons.
All of the extraordinary moments I experience while traveling, working,
communicating, and teaching remind me about the extraordinary in every day. You don’t have to leave home to
find it, but you can. Extraordinary is in all places.
Try to edge out the “busy” and replace it with the
extraordinary for a while. For extraordinary to enter in, there needs to be an
awareness of how much margin you’re living with. You might find that when your
family simplifies things (with a packed schedule at the top of the list), there
is a great chance of sharing adventures and experiences full of joy.
What’s extraordinary in your life right now? How can you enjoy
EXTRAORDINARY every day?
