What makes someone an Extra- Ordinary Athlete (Usain Bolt), an Extra-Ordinary Inventor (Edison), an Extra-Ordinary Doctor (Atul Gawande), Extra-Ordinary Actor (Kamal Haasan) or an Extra-Ordinary Minister (Sushma Swaraj) ? Is this the privilege of some professions and professionals or can any one be Extra-Ordinary in any work.
The movie ‘Ratatouille’ says ‘Anyone can cook’, I would like to extend it and say ‘Anyone can be Extra-Ordinary.’
Let us look at some examples of some everyday Extra-Ordinary people.
The Extra- Ordinary Auto Driver:
Mumbai Autowala’s are known for their dare devil stunts. They stop at nothing. Not even the red signal or the oncoming traffic or lanes can restrict them from their mission of getting the passengers to their destination in the shortest possible time even when the passengers themselves are in no hurry.
So I was pleasantly surprised when our auto driver hand signaled every turn and stop, followed lane discipline, no unnecessary honking or impatience and no acrobatic stunts on the road. Our Auto Driver even politely ignored the unfair shouting by another driver on the road and the obnoxious honking.
The Extra – Ordinary Traffic Cop:
He stands in the middle of the road every day and does his job with style. He has won many fans for his dedication and the love with which he does his work.
“Be it Sun or Rain, I stand there on a war time basis and do my duty, to ensure people’ every day life runs smoothly” says Super Cop Kumar.”
The Extra-Ordinary Butter Milk Vendor:
A humble vendor who sells Butter Milk has become a local celebrity for the superb-quality of Butter Milk he sells to his customers, bringing him customers from far and wide, and fame through TV News Channels and news papers covering his work. He does not even have a shop of his own and sells from his cycle on the beach. People have now started coming to the beach to have his butter milk rather than enjoy the beach air.
I meet these extra-ordinary people every where – My friend who not only suggested a book I needed, but also mailed it to me, The auto drivers who always dig into their pockets to give me the change, the doctor who called up to ensure the patient recovered, the teacher who stays back to clear the doubts of her students, the coffee vendor who serves me my coffee exactly the way I like it, the friend who goes out of his way to send my resume to his contacts to help me get that interview, the security who greets everyone with a smile and so on.
These Extra- Ordinary people inspire me everyday to be more than what I had expected of myself. Who are the extra-ordinary heroes that inspire you everyday?
P.S: Suggested Read : Fred Factor
Yes… these are the real heroes. The ordinary people who do their work with extra-ordinary passion every day 🙂
yeah..Inspiration all around us..None too small to teach..none too big to learn..