The Power of Being Ordinary: She Didn't Think She Could Run 100 Miles | Lisa Hallett

The Power of Being Ordinary - She Didn't Think She Could Run 100 Miles - Lisa Hallett

Why does Lisa Hallett call being ordinary a superpower?

[Lisa]

For me, I feel like understanding and accepting my superpower has been a journey, and I think I'm ordinary, and I love that. I'm a very ordinary person. You know, I live in the suburbs.

I have three kids. I'm a working mom. I'm not extraordinarily wealthy.

I don't have a fancy car. But what the power of ordinary is that all of us have the opportunity to tease out the extraordinary in these moments. The power of accepting our ordinariness is accepting ourself.

We live in a world where we're barraged with better, faster, brighter, shinier. What if I'm okay with who I am, right as I am? And from this base of acceptance of ordinary, I have the power to find extraordinary.

The bulk of our nation, of our success, the richness of our stories are not a few, quote, great Americans. It's everyday life, and I think leaning into that strips away some of entitlements. I'm not a victim.

I'm me. That is so cool, and being me, I can set big, hard goals. I can be a part of my community, and I can meet others where they are at.

There is power in owning our ordinariness, and that's to recognize what we share in our communities, in our neighborhoods with those around us. I'm not somebody famous. I'm not somebody wealthy.

I'm not going to win the race. I am a single mom raising three kids who works, and this is the story of so many awesome people. You can be ordinary and awesome.

Those two go hand in hand, but I think that there is a moment that is worthy of just celebrating. I am me, and I am just as I am, and there is no metal. There is no super exciting Instagram follow that you're going to have, but I have this very shared, lived experience with so many people, and if we can accept a moment of ordinary, that there is something that we can build from.

What does "the power of ordinary" mean?

[Roger]

When I started this podcast, the tagline was ordinary people with extraordinary talent making meaningful impact, and it felt a little odd when I was interviewing people, and I would say that tagline. I'm like, oh yeah, you're ordinary, and you're ordinary, and you're ordinary. I'm like, okay, how about you're everyday people, because that has a song that sounds a little bit better.

[Lisa]

It's not exciting, and maybe it's okay that it's not exciting. Just when we can recognize our similarities and that, hey, we're all in this together. We're all special, but I'm not somebody special, but if I can set a hard goal and achieve it, and I'm ordinary, so can you, so can you, so can you, and I think if we recognize that, and we level set a little bit, I think it also strips away some of our sense of entitlement.

[Roger]

And I think it gives us a sense of permission to be us and not try to be someone else. I think authentic has a little bit of a challenge in it, whereas ordinary has permission, and part of the mission of this podcast is to invite people to become more of their possible self, which in having these conversations, I've learned it's not about being more, of adding more, of doing more, learning more, growing more, it's really stripping down more of the things that life has put on us, the stories people have told us, the voices we have inherited from other people, that's not ours. So this permission to be ordinary and to explore who are we.

[Lisa]

And maybe like the power of ordinary is power of accepting self, right, where you are, and knowing that there's more you can be. Being ordinary is not an excuse for settling, it's an opportunity to accept, accept and grow, and it's permission and an invitation, maybe.

[Roger]

Once you discovered your superpower of being ordinary, what's been one of the most difficult challenges you've had with it?

[Lisa]

We hear imposter syndrome a lot, but with this idea of acceptance of who I am, I'm ordinary, there's nothing uniquely different about me, can be juxtaposed into, do I belong in this room? Am I worthy of this space? I can be ordinary and very good at what I do, very knowledgeable, very capable.

And so I think the tension I've experienced in accepting, I'm Lisa Hallett, I live in the burbs, single working mom, this is a story of so many of us, but I am also a leader, I'm a gold star spouse, I'm a survivor, I'm an endurance athlete, I'm a military spouse, I am a single parent, I'm a single working parent. So juxtaposing this idea of ordinary also means I represent so many different people. And so when I'm given the opportunity to be in the room, what is my obligation to be the voice for those people with whom I align and represent.

[Roger]

And claiming your ordinariness, when other people might see Lisa Hallett and see gold star wife, they'll see the endurance athlete, they'll see the CEO and think extraordinary. But by you claiming your ordinariness, it feels like it's an invitation for them to be in community with you.

[Lisa]

Oh, 1000%. I love that. But I think it's also understanding our stretch goals are going to look different.

We all deserve stretch goals. And we look at our physical potential, maybe your stretch goals, another marathon, maybe it's a 5k, maybe it's just getting off the couch and walking around the block. And then we think about that professionally and academically.

Is your stretch goal getting your AA? Is it getting your PhD? Is it CEO?

Is it you pay an hourly pay raise? We're all at different chapters and stages in our lives. Our stretch goals are all going to look different.

But it's making the choice to stretch. We're all ordinary, but we can reach for the extraordinary in our lives. If you don't know ordinary, how do you know extraordinary?

And if we normalize extraordinary, we don't understand the richness and the opportunity of the experience, what makes it unique and different. We also miss on the magic that's right next to us in our everyday lives.

What is the superpower of being ordinary?

[Roger]

I love that polarity between your rising to those extraordinary moments and then realizing our ordinary moments are probably the thing that actually is the like, the thing that gives life value. Right? I love that.

In this moment, Lisa, what do you know to be true about your superpower of owning your ordinariness?

[Lisa]

Ordinary proves potential and I keep, I prove to myself that I can do things. I'm just me. I didn't think I'd get out of bed after John died, but I did.

I didn't think I could run a marathon, but I did. I really didn't think I can run a hundred miles, but I did. And so again and again, Lisa Hallett from Concord, California, didn't think she could do something, set a goal, built a community of support and made it happen.

And so this idea that anything is possible is true.

[Roger]

When did you learn that? When did you learn this idea that anything is possible?

[Lisa]

It is through the repetition of setting and achieving goals that seem hard.

[Roger]

Going back to the family mantra.

[Lisa]

Hallett's do hard things.

[Roger]

What did you believe early on about your superpower that you've come to learn not to be true?

[Lisa]

We create a hierarchy for ourselves. They're smarter than me. They're more successful for me.

They know better than me. I'm just ordinary. Ordinary is not a limitation.

Ordinary is an acceptance of universality, sameness, connection. It is a starting point from where we build.

[Roger]

Thanks for checking out the True Snacks clip from the full conversation on what do you know to be true. These conversations are with leaders who have chosen to bring more meaning into their work and to become more of their possible selves. If you enjoyed this clip, you'll enjoy the full episode with the guest here.

And if you want to check out another conversation, check out this one. I'm sure you're going to like it. Okay.

Be well, my friends. And as always, love you, mean it.

Questions answered in this episode:

• Why does Lisa Hallett call being ordinary a superpower? Because accepting your ordinariness, not resisting it, is what gives you the foundation to find the extraordinary in everyday life.

• What does "the power of ordinary" mean? Accepting yourself right where you are, then using that as the base to do hard things and reach for the extraordinary.

• What is the superpower of being ordinary? The freedom to be yourself and still do extraordinary things, no special resources or talent required.