Uncommon

“The truth is that most people have a better chance to be uncommon by effort than by natural gifts. Anyone could give that effort in his or her chosen endeavor, but the typical person doesn't, choosing to do only enough to get by.1”

That paragraph has been running through my mind since I read it Wednesday morning. Actually just the one word “uncommon” sticks out. It is written by Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts professional football team. Today he is one of the most popular and successful coaches in sports. But things were not always that way.

In his book “Quiet Strength” coach Dungy tells the story of his upbringing and how he got to the NFL. Surprisingly he experienced a great deal of adversity while trying to play professional sports. But he did not allow any of those obstacles to keep him from achieving his goal. While telling his story Dungy shares the things that motivated him to keep going when times got hard.

One of his strongest motivations in life came from the words of his College football coach. “Success is uncommon and not be enjoyed by the common man. I'm looking for uncommon people because we want to be successful, not average.2” The rest of the book chronicles coach Dungy's dedication to become someone who is “uncommon”.

In February of 2007 Coach Dungy's Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl. There is no greater accomplishment for a coach in the National Football League. Many of us probably wished we could have been Tony Dungy in that moment. But we did not see the painful road that led him there.

The story of Tony Dungy reminded me of where success comes from 85 to 90% of the time. There are individuals who are exceptionally gifted and are able to become successful because of their talent. But those kind of people are extremely rare. The majority of people who become successful do so not because of their talent, but because they work harder than anybody else.

I am not saying that if we give our all to God he will reward us each with an NFL championship. And I don't believe that he will bless those who work hard with great financial blessing. But I do feel that God has a special blessing for those who decide to work hard and excell even in the midst of difficulty. It seems as if God has so much more for each one of us. And if we would give more of ourselves to the task that he has for us we will experience great blessing.

Every day I have a choice before me. The common average life where I do just enough to get by. Or the uncommon life that is filled with pain and obstacles. More often than not I choose the safe easy road, along with millions of other people. But I can't help but wonder what happen if I walked the uncommon road on a daily basis. While I am not sure what physical blessing it would bring, I do know it will bring me closer to God. And having the reputation of someone who is uncommon will be reward enough.

1Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength, pg.29, par.3, ln.1
2Tony Dungy, Quiet Strength, pg.29, par.1, ln.1