Ordinary Effort Won’t Build an Extraordinary Life

Didn’t become Prime Minister… but did get to try out the big chair.

When I was in grade 8, I wanted to be the Prime Minister of Canada.

It wasn't because I had a vision for how things could be better in this amazing country of ours. It was because, for some reason, I wanted to do something "important" with my life. I don't know why, I just did.

Over the next 10 to 15 years, I slowly began to fall out of love with this idea. First of all, I began to see and understand some of the drawbacks of living life in the public eye. I'd also have to get elected, which would take a lot of work. Oh, and I'd have to learn French, and that seemed really hard too.

But what made me ultimately abandon the idea was the feeling that in order to be a viable candidate for a job like that, I'd have to do something extraordinary.

Maybe I'd have to start a business or non-profit and spend 15 or 20 years building it and dedicating myself to public service. Maybe I'd have to do some sort of international work, either in business or in aid or policy, and build a network of power brokers from around the world.

And maybe, after all of this service and all of this hard work, I might not get elected, and I might not ever even have a shot at that "big job."

After looking at all of this, I slowly convinced myself that it wasn't the kind of work that I wanted to do. If I'm being honest though, all of that was a cop-out. I was afraid, and I didn't feel like I could do something extraordinary like that.

A few weeks ago, I listened to Rich Roll share some of his life story on another podcast, The Diary of a CEO. He said something in that episode that changed my perspective forever. I realize how big a statement that is, but it's true.

He said: "Living an extraordinary life requires extraordinary effort and an extraordinary level of commitment."

I'd never thought of it like that before.

I know a lot of people who talk about the extraordinary things they want to do in their lives. That could be starting a business, going on a dream trip, or even just living debt-free.

I can say that I've sat around talking about these extraordinary aspirations and dreams of my own as well. But if I step back and look at it, year after year goes by, and while the conversations keep happening, many of those dreams and aspirations remain unachieved.

Ordinary effort in = ordinary outcomes. Dreams stay dreams. Aspirations stay aspirations.

If I'm being honest with myself (and by extension, all of you), I've been that person for most of my life. I've had big dreams and aspirations, but I haven't been willing to really put in what it would take to make them happen.

In contrast, I've also spent time with people who share extraordinary dreams and aspirations with me. After a visit, they go dark for a while, and then when I see them months (or even years) later, I'm astonished by what I see. They may not have responded to my text messages, commented on my LinkedIn posts, or been available for that coffee I've invited them to five or six times...

...but the thing they're chasing is becoming their reality.

Extraordinary effort in = extraordinary outcomes. Dreams become reality. Aspirations grow bigger.

Later in that podcast episode, Rich Roll shared that extraordinary commitment and effort come with tradeoffs. It means missed time with family and friends, rest and relaxation, and yes, financial sacrifices as well.

For him, pursuing his dream of ultra-athletics meant giving up friendships, a stable career and income, missing bill payments, having his vehicles repossessed, and almost losing his home. That seems like a big price to pay, but when he reflects on it now, he wouldn't change a thing.

When I reflected on some of the people who I view as extraordinary in my life, I started to see some of the same things.

One friend who has been trying for years to have a child had to give up alcohol, leave her stressful executive-level job, and ultimately have a surrogate carry and deliver their baby in order to start her family.

For another friend (who I've mentioned before), it has meant facing fears, packing his family's belongings, and all of them moving to the other side of the world to pursue a new life-changing adventure for their family.

And for another friend, it has meant standing by his values as an elected MP in an unpopular federal party, and after two incredibly successful terms of service, losing his seat by just a couple hundred votes. That is, publicly losing his job, and then signing himself up to run again in the next election for that same party.

I don't see or spend as much time with any of these friends as I'd like to, but they're all living their own extraordinary version of their lives.

I wish I'd heard this advice and had this realization sooner. In spite of my efforts to appear extraordinary, until this year, I was never willing to do what was required in order to live a life that is in alignment with my hopes, dreams, and aspirations. And as it turns out, that has meant putting in an extraordinary effort.

Starting Vienna Waits has meant leaving my full-time job (and Whitney leaving hers), simplifying our life to eliminate expenses (and some luxuries), dipping into our retirement savings, and seeing our household income go to $0 for multiple months in a row. GULP.

As Whitney shared in her post last week, we've started to see some extraordinary things happen. We've met and worked with some extraordinary people, and we've had an extraordinary impact on the lives of people and organizations that we care about.

As proud as I am of where we're at, there is much still to be done to have this reflect our vision and, frankly, for it to sustain what we need it to for our family financially.

But what I can say for certain is that the formula checks out. This past year has been an extraordinary effort for both Whitney and me, and the life I'm living is becoming extraordinary.

37 years of ordinary effort = ordinary results.

10 months extraordinary effort = extraordinary results.

What "extraordinary" means is different for each of us. For some, it might mean a private jet and traveling the world. For others, it might mean being mortgage or rent-free, and for others, it's living a life that allows them to do work that helps and serves others.

Ultimately, the first question is this: What does living an "extraordinary" life mean to you?

And then, the tougher question is this: What are you doing to get after it?

Look, I appreciate that you might be someone who is living a truly "ordinary" life and you are content with that. If this is you, I genuinely admire this. A part of me really wishes that I could be more like you.

Alternatively, you might be someone who has an idea of what an extraordinary life means for you, but you don't know where to get started. There could be real things blocking you from getting started, and there may be others that feel real but are just perceptions. If this is you, you're in the right place.

And then finally, you might be someone who knows what extraordinary looks like and is building it. If that's you and you're reading this, THANK YOU for inspiring me and all of us who want to be more like you. As hard and isolating as it feels to be putting in that extraordinary effort, please keep going. As Seth Godin has said, "The world needs you to contribute. Your family, neighbours, peers, team, organization, and friends need you to bring what you alone can bring to the world." Just keep going.

To close this all out, no, I won't be running for Prime Minister any time soon. Quite the opposite, in fact. The hours of relentless effort have just gotten us started, and we're excited for what we still have to build with Waypoint Retreat, UNBLOCK Yourself, and more.

For you, it is my hope that you find something in this post (and Rich Roll's words) both convicting and inspiring. I hope that after you read this, you take 10 minutes to think about what an extraordinary life might mean for you, write it down, and give some real thought to what you need to do to get started.

We all only get one chance at life, and if you're here, reading this, I'm willing to bet that something is pulling at you, trying to get your attention, and have you go after it.

So I'll put the questions to you: What does an extraordinary life look like for you? And are you willing to do what it takes to make it happen?