So I was talking to someone online and and on the desk behind them was a placard with the slogan – “be epic today.” I am always interested in the slogans that catch people’s attention. I have a few that I like, but nothing that has been worthy of permanent placement on the wall behind me. Perhaps “Ride at Dawn” or “Embrace the Suck” or “Dance on the Edge” might be one that gets to that point. I guess when I am older and hopefully wildly successful there will be a moment when someone will ask me what the key to success is and I will point to this slogan.
Back to being Epic. I like this concept and it changed my mentality a little bit yesterday. As I was driving home, I thought is there something that I did today that is epic? Nope. I had some good meetings, I had some great conversations, but epic? Not at that level. What does it mean to be epic? That is a great question. I realized that I really do not know. I wonder if that person I was talking to has a clear definition. Maybe I should ask.
When I think of being epic, I think of doing things that other people are not doing, or are unwilling to do. To rise above mediocrity, to be exceptional. When people think of an explorer, a person to lead an expedition, to take on a new unprecedented challenge, they think of this epic person. Could I be or become this person? What am I doing today that would cause me to be more epic?
Perhaps being epic is good enough in the eyes of your child, your spouse, your aging family members? What if my 9 year old daughter look at her Dad and thought, wow, my Daddy is so epic! What could I do to raise myself to that level!? Perhaps that level is more important than what anyone else thinks! Perhaps there are things that I could do to be epic in the eyes of total strangers. We have all seen people struggling in life. What could we do, to go the extra mile to help someone out and to do so in a way that they had this overwhelming feeling that you were being epic? Is this an attitude we could take into every action!? Just consider that.
When I eat breakfast – I am going to have an epic breakfast today. When I go for a run, it is going to be epic. I am going to do a set of pull ups today – it is going to be epic – I will do a few extra just to make sure. I am going to have a conference call today, and could I make that call epic? That will certainly be challenging. When you consider what you would have to do extra to make an engagement epic, it really puts it into perspective doesn’t it? Is that next meeting you are going to have going to be epic? No? What are you going to do to make it that way.
So today I had gluten free, coconut pancakes with flaxseed – epic. I ran the fastest mile I have ever ran – epic. I wrote a blog about being epic – that is epic. I sat on a conference call and almost fell asleep – uh – not so epic. Well, I am trying!
Guy Reams (566)
