Uncommonly Common

“The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.” –?John D. Rockefeller

This quote from a chronicle of advice and wise words published in 1909 by one of the world’s richest men is well known to many. And so much is captured in just these 65 characters. It may remind you of the incredibly wealthy oil magnate of the late 19th century. Or maybe it conjures images of his only son who leased 22 acres in midtown Manhattan from 美国哥伦比亚大学 , later to become famous Rockefeller Center. For me, it is a poignant reminder of the common denominator of all success. Work. ?

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Work is not a work that creates a bubble of excitement in most people. In fact, for most of us, the word work is something that screams toil, drudgery, exertion, and effort. ?But we all know someone who, almost with a lack of common sense, embraces and cherishes work. These are the people who seem to step into the vigorous efforts of a job with pleasure and joy. And they do it with more than a good attitude – it’s like they do it with eagerness and excitement. ?

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When I was in college at Western Oregon University , I played lacrosse alongside a guy named Nyc. He was a much better player than I was, playing with the skill and strength that I hoped to have. The biggest differentiator was not his athletic ability – I certainly had athletic gifts he did not. He was better at the work needed to become great at the game. He seemingly loved the work. He went to the weightroom like it was a preference. He did drills on the field on Saturday and Sunday mornings by himself as if it was a gift. He embraced conditioning as if it were a leisure activity. And he relished the divisional accolades he amassed as a result. ?Nyc was great at doing the common work of practice and training, uncommonly well and it was for that reason he was quite likely the best player on our team during the years we played together. ?

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We are each committed to something in our lives. Family relationships and obligations, friendships, professional careers, and more. And we may each look at others in similar endeavors that are impressively “good” at those things also. There’s likely an element of passion and love involved, but that’s not all it is. Those people that make the hard stuff look easy and the work of our commitments look fun? There’s a good chance they have committed to doing the common things uncommonly well.?

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No matter if we’re trying to be a better partner or spouse. A better friend or sibling. A better people leader or individual contributor; we can commit ourselves to being great at the common work of showing appreciation, lending support, showing awareness of others, looking to understand/learn about our colleagues or clients, or even following up on our commitments no matter how big or small. ?

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We all have the chance to be great at the common elements of our pursuits, all we need to do is do it!?