I love movies! Anyone who knows me knows that I love watching movies, and I will watch and analyze the same movie over and over again. Besides the entertainment value, movies can be inspirational.

One such movie is āSister Actā from 1992 with Whoopi Goldberg. Wait. What? A Whoopi Goldberg movie being inspirational? Okay, maybe not the entire movie, but a portion of it, as it relates to the growth of the character of Sister Mary Robert, played by Wendy Makkena.
When Sister Mary Clarence (Goldberg) takes refuge in the convent and first meets the choir, sheās suddenly thrust into the position as leader of the choir. As Goldberg takes the reins of the group, she notices Sister Mary Robert (Makkena) blending into the background and only mouthing the words to the songs. Mary Clarence then brings Mary Robert front and center. Goldbergās character explains that Mary Robert needs to sing loud enough to be heard over the noise of a diner, with clacking silverware and loud waitresses. Finally, Mary Robertās voice is heard, and itās a sweet one. Throughout the course of the movie, Mary Robert is more front and center with the choir, and doing more solos when they perform. Sheās come out of her shell and is no longer hiding in the back, just mouthing the words.
How often do we find ourselves hiding and merely going through the motions? Do you have big dreams, but are plagued with self-doubt? As I may have mentioned before, Iām reading a book by Alli Worthington called āStanding Strong.ā In it, Worthington talks about āplaying small.ā In the sense of not letting comparison, fear, or self-doubt hold you back from pursuing your dreams, or just living your life to the fullest.
Mary Robert was playing small ā not letting her gifts come out because of fear, and not believing she had a true talent.
Recently, Iāve come to believe thereās no such thing as ordinary. Whether youāre a CEO, a writer, a waiter/waitress, or a housewife (or househusband), you are extraordinary. It doesnāt matter what job you have! Anything we choose to do in our lives has value. Any time we come around friends to laugh and enjoy, or comfort and console, weāre offering something special to them ā something extraordinary.
Yes, there are times we feel like weāre living in a mundane world, with routine lives, feeling plain and not special. But thatās not true.
In a recent post on this blog, I asked what you wanted to be when you grew up. Is there a dream you havenāt achieved yet? For some, their lives may have taken a completely different direction, and they never had the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Goals can go by the wayside when we have the responsibility of a family and bills to pay.
That being said, remember Friends, you are not a failure. Maybe your time just hasnāt come. Or maybe you were destined for something else. I donāt know what God had in mind for you, but I know we have the ability to make our circumstances worse or better, by our own attitude. Even if weāre not where we want to be in our job or in our life, doesnāt mean we arenāt extraordinary. We can offer each other so much, just by giving of ourselves.

Iām blessed to be on a new path these days. Iām a college student again, finally completing my bachelorās degree that I started over 40 (gasp!) years ago. Will school make me extraordinary? No, not necessarily. But school is proving to me that Iām not too old to keep pursuing my dreams. Iām not too old to influence those around me. I donāt have to keep playing it small.
My new mindset is going to be āThereās no such thing as ordinary.ā Remember, you are special. You matter. You are extraordinary.
Do you believe this? Let me hear your thoughts. And letās encourage one another.
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