I know my blogs are a bit meta but that's my nature. Everything is always so much deeper to me than it appears on the surface. Everything has so much meaning. It's all principles and "the meaning of life" rolled up into every seemingly mundane part of day-to-day life. Maybe that helps make life more exciting in my perception, or maybe - it's what makes life so great, for real.
When I was first starting out in my accounting career, it was at a time when I really still didn't know what I wanted "To do with my life". But, I still found the most joy I possibly could in doing it. I was working for a well-known car dealership. Many people may have found the work tedious and boring, but not me! Remember, I take everything and make it "EXTRA" in my mind.
I always felt like work was just another expression of who I am. It's me, executing tasks for someone else that need to get done - on its surface. But for me, the deeper layer was about sharing an experience with the customer, even though I rarely ever saw them. The sales folders were called Deal Jackets. Every one of them was a manilla folder with a ton of paperwork from the Secretary of State, lenders, and documents the buyer had to submit. But I didn't just see the paperwork. I saw the people. I felt the excitement they felt. Even if the car wasn't new, it was "new to them". I imagined every one of the people driving it home for the first time, turning up the radio, testing out the controls. And I smiled.
I'd have to run to the parts department to ask about parts. "Are these running boards getting installed this month or next?" I needed to know for accounting purposes, but I also imagined the client climbing up on them to get into their big F-350 once they were finally put onto the vehicle. I thought about how it would make life easier (especially if they were short, like me).
I credit this attitude with where I am today. I always tried to make work less of a monotonous chore, and more of a participation in the life of other people. Serving them and sharing an experience with them, even though we never met. I think about how this shared experience affects so many people, people you don't even think may be affected by your actions. It carries forward into everything though. It really does.
Don't be fooled by what the definition of "incredible" is, either. We've all been somewhat conditioned to believe that amazing people are famous, wealthy or are directly responsible for something earth changing. Famous people like Einstein, or celebrity rock stars.... but while incredible, yes, they're also lucky or connected enough to have become famous. And in the case of celebrities, a lot of that is superficial nonsense. It isn't really life-changing in many cases. Incredible things happen all the time and go completely unnoticed.
We all have incredible potential. We can be part of something joyous and monumental every day. I know that many people struggle with feeling in a rut. Or that they don't know what their purpose is. They may not feel satisfied with their life. Sometimes I even lose sight of what a great gift I have in running my business. But I always try to remember that we all have infinite human potential and steer myself back towards working toward that.
We are so much more than "people doing things". We are powerful creators with the potential to actualize our dreams into realities. So the question and challenge posed in this blog is, "What incredible things can you do today?"
