“Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reflections: Most Ordinary… there is much beauty in a simple flower…
Today’s prompt on seeing the beauty and importance in the ordinary is quite fascinating. Typically, we are coaxed to seek the exhilarating and exciting things in life and to stay away from the mundane. But as I read the prompt below and thought about it, it made perfect sense to me. We can’t get to the extraordinary unless we do the ordinary well. Everything we do starts with the ordinary; get out of bed, bath, eat, practice our craft at a desk, in a studio or in a class, and after years of hard work, viola – extraordinary! Essentially, what others declare as genius is hard work that met inspiration. Some of the so-called ordinary kids in my high school are now living extraordinary lives and we all can too. When we look around us, there is so much beauty in nature’s simplicity; what some of us take for gratitude as so… ordinary.
#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge. The #Trust30 Prompt: We are our most potent at our most ordinary. And yet most of us discount our “ordinary” because it is, well, ordinary. Or so we believe. But my ordinary is not yours. Three things block us from putting down our clever and picking up our ordinary: false comparisons with others (I’m not as good a writer as _____), false expectations of ourselves (I should be on the NYTimes best seller list or not write at all), and false investments in a story (it’s all been written before, I shouldn’t bother). What are your false comparisons? What are your false expectations? What are your false investments in a story? List them. Each keep you from that internal knowing about which Emerson writes. Each keeps you from making your strong offer to the world. Put down your clever, and pick up your ordinary.
If our false comparisons, expectations or investments are getting in the way of our creativity, what do we plan to do about it? One thing I have observed and learned in life is that the more I do me and focus less on how it compares to what others are doing, the more at peace I become. Do You! I can’t count how many times I’ve heard people speak about a successful inventor of X who developed with an idea they thought was ordinary… Until we stop discounting our simple, inner promptings as irrelevant; too ordinary, we will miss the chance to fully embrace and use our gifts. What do you think? 
“Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” Jim Rohn
Reflections: Most Ordinary… those ducklings soon become full grown contributors
When I joined the Daily Post challenge in January, I agonized over what to write and how to write. I even felt some frustration over it because I wanted to make sure that my contributions were beneficial and I struggled with it. Comparisons with other bloggers didn’t help and I had to quickly dispense of that attitude. Over time, I had to make peace with my writing and write what I know and what I felt prompted to share; be it via the prompts or on my own ordinary take on life.
It no longer matters if my post is witty or slick… What matters is that I stay true to what I feel and what I share and I am grateful that my silent readers keep coming back, and that my blog buddies appreciate my posts as much as I do theirs. We can all make headway with our plans when we do the work and not plan the parade before the work. What about you? What are your thoughts? Do you see the extraordinary in the ordinary? Do you find yourself seeking excitement constantly or being at peace with variety? Do share! Thank you.
Positive Motivation Tip: When we are at peace with the simple things that keep us going, we find that life’s magical inspiring gifts come looking for us… Be at peace with ordinary days.
This post was inspired by a prompt from RalphWaldoEmerson.me: What are your false comparisons? What are your false expectations? What are your false investments in a story? List them. Each keep you from that internal knowing about which Emerson writes. Each keeps you from making your strong offer to the world. Put down your clever, and pick up your ordinary.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Photos via my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
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