How Can I Get 1% Better Today?
The answer – Be Uncommon.
In the spring of 2002 I served as a chaperone for a group of Mountain Brook Junior High students visiting Washington DC. Our visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was unforgettable.
At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier an American soldier stands guard 24/7. The Guard marches 21 steps on a black runway behind the Tomb, turns to the east for 21 seconds, turns to the North for 21 seconds and then returns 21 steps down the runway. In the military the number 21 is significant as it serves to honor those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The 21-gun salute is the highest honor given at military funerals.
Our bus driver/tour guide told us that on the morning of September 11, 2001 he was guiding a group of tourists through Arlington National Cemetery shortly after 9:00. There was concern because word had spread that planes had crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City.
At 9:37 that morning Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon, which is walking distance from Arlington National Cemetery. Our bus driver told us the explosion was deafening and the ground shook. At that moment there was complete pandemonium because it was obvious that our country was under terrorist attack. The driver said at the time of the crash his group was near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He described how in all of the chaos the Guard never flinched. The Guard continued 21 steps, paused, and then returned. In the days that followed the attack, the bus driver explained how the image of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier served as a reminder to him that we would overcome the terrorist attacks as a country because we are an uncommon people.
What makes us uncommon people? What makes me an uncommon individual? Tony Dungy in his book, Uncommon states, “Success is uncommon and not to be enjoyed by the common man. I’m looking for uncommon people because we want to be successful, not average.”
Dungy goes on to explain, “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.”
We are uncommon when we live a life that honors those that have sacrificed for our freedom and protected our right to choose the person we will become. Uncommon people choose to exercise self-mastery and sacrifice for the well being of others. Today, live your life in a way that honors those that have sacrificed for you and invested in you because they saw something in you that was uncommon.
Chris Yeager, Head Football Coach Mountain Brook Spartans