Recently, I took a trip to a nearby field of sunflowers. Even though they were a little past their apex of bloom, I couldn’t help but notice that a few of them were much taller than the others, taller than they had to be to get above their neighbors to the sun. Standing there admiring their beauty, it made me wonder why some sunflowers grow so much taller. Why do they do more than they have to?
This obviously begs the question, “Why do some people do more than they have to?” Everyone knows (or is) someone who consistently outperforms the crowd and has an ongoing need to be more, care more, and do more.
I was powerfully inspired by the taller stretching sunflowers and wondered what makes me do more. What makes me care more? What makes that happen?
With the sunflowers it was startling. With people, it is subtle and powerful. The little things make us stand out from the crowd. It’s as sexy as someone who consistently does what they say and always arrives on time.
I realized that what sets me apart from the crowd is understanding WHY I need to find a better way and share it with the world around me.
It’s why my work with the WHY Institute is critically important – Our DISCOVERY process helps people identify and introduce themselves as someone unique, someone who really knows who they are and why they do what they do. When we know our WHY, we understand why we’re not a commodity. In that sunflower field, most of the flowers are a commodity…but the ones who are stretching themselves are not.
What have you done lately that stretches you? What separates you from the crowd?