Carpe Diem: Simple Strategies to Move from Average to Extraordinary

By Ken Knox Ph. D.

Have you ever wondered what separated high performers from average people? Have you wondered what it takes to move from average to extraordinary? The answers to both these question will surprise you. You see the difference between high achievers and the rest of us is that the high achievers focus on whats important and ignore whats not. This short book will help you identify whats important and help you focus on moving from average to extraordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 30, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469122335

Ken Knox Ph. D.

Ken Knox is an average guy who has enjoyed an extraordinary life. He has worked for Fortune 500 companies and has owned several small businesses. He believes that what we get out of life is directly proportional to what we put in. Ken has been serving small and large businesses for the past fifteen years with training seminars on such topics as customer service, marketing, management development, and organizational change. He has had the privilege of speaking throughout the United States and abroad. In addition to his speaking and seminars, Ken teaches at several colleges and universities. He and his wife Pam are the proud parents of five children. They live the good life in St. Clairsville, Ohio.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

A group of friends were chatting at a high school graduation party. They were lamenting the fact that they were by-passed for college scholarships and high school academic awards. In fact, they were disappointed that their collective grades amounted to a C average. Not that C’s were bad, they rationalized. After all, a C average meant just that; they were average and the world is filled with average people. To make matters even more depressing was the fact that their commencement speaker emphasized that in today’s competitive job market, average wouldn’t cut it. The speaker urged the graduates to seek the very best that life had to offer. In order to receive life’s best, the graduates had to give their best.

Each of the friends related his/her tale of why they ended up with a C average. Jodie was raised by a single mom who worked very hard to provide for them. Her mom didn’t have the time to make sure Jodie studied and did her homework and Jodie found that it was much easier to watch television or chat on the computer while her mom was at work.

Sam was the youngest of four siblings who were exceptional students and athletes. Growing up, he was often compared to his older siblings. Though he tried, in the eyes of his parents, he just didn’t measure up to the accomplishments of his brothers and sisters. After a while, he just quit trying to gain their approval.

Laurie’s family was well-to-do. She had every advantage possible. Her parents were involved in many social and business activities and she was often left alone. She developed a penchant for partying. Though she never got into real trouble, schoolwork always took a backseat to her social endeavors.

Robbie was the quarterback on the football team. He was the closest thing a high school student could be to being a town hero. His coaches and parents were sure that he would get a scholarship to a major university. It was an unwritten rule among his teachers that he would pass his classes. He never really worked at school and his C grades were in reality a gift from his teachers. Who was to know that in his senior year, he would blow out a knee? The college scholarship offers soon dried up and he was just another average kid with an uncertain future.

As the friends reflected on their high school days, one thing they agreed upon… it was someone else’s fault they were only C students and left out of the awards. Whether a busy parent, star-struck teachers, or over-achieving siblings, someone else was responsible for the friends’ mediocrity.

The conversation soon turned to the future and the friends were discussing the possibility of enduring average jobs. After all, they rationalized; the world was full of average people leading average lives. It was at this time that Jodie stood up and said, I’ve seen my mom struggle to support us and it’s been hard. I’m not sure that I want to settle for average any more!

With that declaration, the discussion moved in a decidedly more positive direction. Each of the friends related how, in fact, most of the responsibility for their average academic achievements was their personal responsibility. They vowed to do whatever it took to rise above average and do something extraordinary with their lives. What follows is their account of what it takes to rise above average.

CHOICES

You are what you are because of the conscious and subconscious choices you have made.

—Barbara Hall

The first step in moving from average to extraordinary is stop blaming others for your lot in life and to do something about it. Every one of us has had unfortunate circumstances in our lives that, if left unchecked, could have brought us to a halt.

Mistakes happen. Bad decisions happen. Fear of failure happens. Procrastination happens. Worry happens. Who can put a stop to each of these? You and I can! When we choose to change our outlook, we choose to take control of our own destiny. We choose to take responsibility.

Too often in our society, we are told that personal accountability does not matter. Our popular culture encourages risky behavior. After all, you only live once . . . go for it! The reality is that while we indeed only live once, that one life can have a significant impact on those around us. And the real world is far tougher than the carefree lifestyles promoted by popular culture. The real world only rewards the best. The hardest working, best-prepared people are the ones who succeed. Becoming the best means giving your best. Giving your best starts with choosing to do whatever it takes to reach your goals. Becoming the best starts with choosing to be personally responsible for our own actions.

All of us has our share of bad luck. We don’t choose to get sick. We don’t choose to have our company go out of business. We don’t choose for bad things to happen. We can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we deal with the inevitable suffering that all humans endure.

There is a certain amount of risk in choosing to set our own path in