I’m fascinated by how things begin.
I wonder, for example, if I were to mentally trace the good things in my life all the way back to their source, where would I end up? What started it all? What if I traced the bad things?
Or we could try this game with something bigger. Like a company. A social movement. Or a country, even. How far back can we go, following the chain of events and accidents and coincidences, until we lose the thread?
Here’s the point of this game: to answer the question How do you start __________? Fill in the blank with anything remarkable or revolutionary.
But it’s a trick question, really.
Because when you break something remarkable down into its constituent parts, you end up with a lot of little ordinary pieces that don’t quite fit together. There’s nothing that stands out as the Moment It All Began. Looking at all the individual pieces, you can’t see how they connect.
Remarkable things are made primarily of wholly unremarkable parts. A phone call, a chance meeting, a spiral notebook. It’s the way these parts happen to fit, and the context in which it happens that makes all the difference. And according to Cal Newport, the fact that you can’t imagine a step-by-step model for something is exactly what makes that thing impressive.
We aren’t fascinated by things we can easily understand; we’re fascinated by things far greater than the sum of their parts.
Which is both inspiring and frustrating, because at the beginning, the parts are all you have.
I used to think that someday, I’d try something, do something, and suddenly my life would click. In that moment, I’d know what I was meant to do and how to make it great. That’s what finding your purpose is like, right?
But it doesn’t work that way. Most of the time, the first step toward something remarkable feels an awful lot like the first step toward something mundane. That first step is like writing your first blog post. You’re confident; You’ve got big plans and a lot of great advice; but it’s still just the first post, and you have no clue what’s really going to happen. You don’t find purpose or remarkability; you sketch it out day by day, line by line.
I think: you don’t start something remarkable. You start something, then you make it remarkable along the way.
Or you could sit, dream, and settle for ordinary.
***
Yesterday I read three fantastic blog posts about starting something remarkable:
- stop worrying about what you can’t control and just get started by Sam Spurlin
- The Power of Little Decisions by Mike Tiojanco
- Personal Blog? Don’t Worry About Your Strategy by Sacha Chua
I hope you enjoy them too.
15 Comments on “This is how to be remarkable”
says:
Thank you for the link. It's so easy to look around and see people doing remarkable things and just chalk it up to the fact that they are just amazing people.
False.
They are people just like everybody else. They have the same number of hours in the day as me. They had to start somewhere just like I'm having to start somewhere. I'm trying to take everything one day at a time while just continuing to make progress. One day of progress is fairly insignificant. Two years of insignificant daily progress results in something that is no longer insignificant.
Thanks for the great article, as always.
says:
Boy, you're fast, Sam! And very welcome for the link. I thoroughly enjoyed
your post.
I think amazing is just something people call you when they don't understand
how you did it. To be amazing, you just need to keep finding new ways to
tackle today and tomorrow.
The saying goes something like this: we overestimate what we can do in a
day, and underestimate what we can do in a year.
says:
Thanks for the link Jeffrey.
I echo pretty much everything Sam says in his comment. I'm just a normal guy who made the decision to start a couple weeks ago.
That's really the only disagreement I have with your post. I remember my “Moment It All Began.” And while it's nothing that's growing out of control or becoming huge right now, the second I made the decision in my head to make something happen will always be my “Moment It All Began,” whether my blog and business are huge flops or huge successes.
Hopefully it's the latter…
Thanks again for all your support in these early days!
says:
Mike, you make a good point about the Moment It All Began. I guess what I
meant was not that we don't have turning points in our lives, but that we
can't really predict when more turning points will appear. I remember the
moment when I first decided to tighten up my life and start blogging
regularly, but not long after I started, I discovered that things were
moving in a totally different direction than I expected. That's what I'm
trying to express – that what you think you're starting isn't always what
you end up with.
I think you're off to an awesome start, Mike.
says:
“Remarkable things are made primarily of wholly unremarkable parts.”
I love this – so true. I really enjoyed your perspective on this – something great to think about.
says:
Great things comes as a result of our everyday task. Those little achievements we accomplish each day will evolve itself into something big when the time comes. :-)
says:
Wonderful post and thanks for including links to Sam, Mike and Sacha Blogs.
I think: you don’t start something remarkable. You start something, then you make it remarkable along the way. This is very true.
There are so many successful people who started from zero and never thought they would be living a successful life later.
There was a show on Oprah for the working moms who became Millionaire doing what they probably started not knowing that they will become Millionaire. Example: Victoria Knight-McDowell, an elementary school teacher suffered from cold and cough often and she distributed it to those in school having same problem. Now the airborne medicine is sold as over the counter medicine in the pharmacy section of Walmart. This is truly remarkable.
Cheers,
Cheryl Paris Blog
says:
That is very well said. Our brain remembers extreme cases best so we tend to forget about all the mundane parts that make up something incredible, but you are absolutely right.
says:
Jeffery, I'm so glad I discovered your blog last week. Your last few posts have been particularly on-point for me and I really appreciate your ideas and insight. I'm looking forward to hanging around and reading more great posts from you.
says:
I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Heather. Thanks for stopping by!
says:
Thanks for sharing Victoria's story, Cheryl. I think success often occurs in
surprising ways. You can't plan for it; what you can do is diligently lay
its foundations and seize the opportunity when it comes.
says:
Lisacle,
I'm so glad to have you here, and even more glad that you've decided to
stick around!
says:
I've just started to work towards a really big goal and I was all buzzed about it at first, but after a short time I realize that today is no different than yesterday; all I did was give myself more work and more mundane tasks to do. However I know if I keep at it, remarkable things are possible.
Thanks for the great post.
says:
hell yes what a great quote at the end ..
“I think: you don’t start something remarkable. You start something, then you make it remarkable along the way.” ~ Jeffrey Tang
This is really .. impressive. Because I really know the feeling when you ask yourself “how do I find my passion? What do I want to do with live?” while looking for the really big things..
You gave me a part of the answer: by starting something. You will know if its a passion along the way..