Value in the Ordinary

A few years ago..okay over a decade ago when I was working at a venture capital firm I was sitting at the table with all the partners.  One of them mentioned that Hilary Clinton was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award- I couldn't help but tiff to myself.  One of the partners looked at me and in a somewhat condescending way asked if I knew anyone else who should receive it.  For those who know me, you know I don't like conflict or even the hint of it.  But without hesitation I said my mom. The partner continued (I think he was getting a kick out of this) by asking what made my mom so great compared to Hilary.  I listed all the stuff that was great about my mom: she raised 6 amazing kids (hehe), she loved people that were hard to love (not talking about any of her kids of course), she gave service to many people (again, the ones that weren't easy to serve), she put up with my dad and his projects, she did the daily things moms do to keep their kids happy, she worried about us, she kept us safe and taught us to be good people- I owe any goodness I have to my fabulous mom.

My sister (Lisa), my mom and I

The look on the partner's face was priceless.  He seemed, for a moment, to get it.  There is incredible value in the ordinary.  We live in a digital age so every extraordinary thing someone does is out there to share on Facebook, blog about (I do see the irony in this being a blog post, but it isn't my point...) , take pictures of etc...  what about the moments that aren't that extraordinary?  Are they of value if they aren't extraordinary or documented on Facebook?  The answer is YES, yes, yes and YES!  

We all have great value and purpose.  At times it is hard to see it through the mundane things of life, but those "things" add up daily to greatness and value. Would you rather be given a penny and double it for 31 days or be given $50K on the first day?  At first glance a penny vs. $50K is a no brainer, but as most of you know that after 31 days of doubling your penny you would have $10 million.  It's the power of compounding.  Daily things add up to be of greater value and worth than those fleeting big moments. So make the most of the daily.