Take the Elevator
This podcast is purely about elevating people through individual life stories and experiences in the Elevator. In the Elevator, what's key is maybe changing your perspective; having self-actualization; embracing your purpose; and acting on it as we grow from one another. There is a whole different point of view when you look up to elevate.
Take the Elevator
371st Floor: When Ordinary Isn't Enough
What if that moment required you to be more than okay? What if ordinary just wasn't enough?
This question frames a robust conversation about pushing beyond comfortable mediocrity into extraordinary territory.
The distinction is subtle but profound: ordinary means meeting minimal requirements with no shock value, while extraordinary means exceeding expectations and making a lasting impact.
For those hesitant to embrace the extraordinary, the hosts offer practical guidance: clarify your "why," dream exponentially bigger than feels comfortable, set progressively larger goals, tap into your unique strengths, find inspiring role models, and push through resistance by raising your standards. The simple shift from asking "what's good enough?" to "what's my best?" can fundamentally change your approach to challenges.
The episode concludes with a powerful mantra that encapsulates the extraordinary mindset: "If it's worth it, then it's worth my all." Whether applied to relationships, career opportunities, or personal dreams, this perspective transforms ordinary efforts into extraordinary results.
Ready to elevate your thinking and performance? Join us to discover how small shifts in preparation and mindset can yield remarkable outcomes in every area of your life.
Look up, and let's elevate!
Hey, it's Jen the Builder and Corey and welcome to Take the Elevator. We are one day late, and for good reason.
Speaker 2:Great reasons, great reasons, awesome reasons.
Speaker 1:So when this airs, it will be mine and Corey's 19th wedding anniversary, do you? Know, what today is? It's our anniversary. Yeah, made for you and me.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 1:So yeah, 19 years, what a blessing it's been. So over the weekend we went out of town and went to Arizona, did Phoenix, tucson, paradise Valley and Scottsdale.
Speaker 2:Oh boy, scottsdale.
Speaker 1:I have to tell you we fell in love. We fell in love with Scottsdale.
Speaker 2:Love, love, love.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it was a good time with family and, um, amazing times there. We could dedicate a whole episode to the events of arizona. We won't do that today, because today we're talking about a topic that cory brought forward, and I have to tell you this. I'm just going to be fully transparent. Well, let's go over what the topic is it's about, when ordinary just isn't enough.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And how to be extraordinary and push through. So isn't it funny how we got called on the carpet on this. And let me give you some context. Corey and I got off work, had our dinner. We're like, yeah, let's, let's make sure to record this episode. Spend some time on the elevator and we felt so good, like we just hit the point and we were having a great time. And I go to upload it on our platform and there's a problem with the SD card and I was like, no, it wasn't showing up. So Corey and I are re-recording this and this is our answer to being extraordinary and pushing through.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, because if you can only do it one time, it's not going to be extraordinary anyway.
Speaker 1:That's right, that's right. So I'm going to start off by posing this question have you ever looked back on something and thought I did all right, it was okay, but I could have done more? What if that moment required you to be more than okay? What if ordinary just wasn't enough?
Speaker 2:that's that dun-dun-dun moment because, yes, no doubt I have definitely shown up very ordinary in my past and the crushing reality is that it should have been extraordinary. And that's the moment of true education and learning, when someone tells you you know what? That was a little bit on the safe side. You need to bring all your gifts, all your tools. I want the toolbox empty by the time you're done with this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So Corey and I, you you know, for those who've been listening to us, well over three, I think we're almost into 400 episodes, but if you've been here with us, you know that cory and I show up united yet different.
Speaker 1:That's how I'm gonna say it so we're talking about this topic over dinner, and so I start posing questions to Corey, because he's the one who produced this show, so I started sharing with him. You know, I think extraordinary is when you show up and you push through during critical moments. That's my definition, corey, you said that extraordinary is when, for you, it's all the time, every day.
Speaker 2:Anytime you can possibly show up extraordinary, I encourage you to do so. If you're walking around ordinary, that's probably how you're being perceived by everyone around you.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's define some words Sure. What do you mean by ordinary?
Speaker 2:Ordinary is no shock value. It's the way everyone expects you to be, the way everyone expects you to act, sing, speak, engage, and there's nothing out of the ordinary that's happening okay, and so I'd add on and say you're doing minimal okay, requirement for success so it still could be success, but maybe it's you know,
Speaker 2:it's good and let me say this I I want to be really, really clear when I say there is nothing wrong with ordinary. You can live a very happy life showing up ordinary and typically we're talking about for performance style behavior.
Speaker 1:Okay, so then extraordinary would mean Then extraordinary would mean.
Speaker 2:For me, that means that whatever I'm doing is so over the top that people are going to not only notice, but they're never going to forget it, and they'll remind not only other people but even you that you did this extraordinary feat and how surprised and shocked they were.
Speaker 1:Yes. So for me, definition is just showing up fully, and when I say just, I don't mean just Showing up fully requires a lot, it's exceeding the expectations right, and just going full on in and making a lasting impact. So I know, corey, you mentioned performance and we're going to elaborate on that more because I think you can be extraordinary and other things that aren't necessarily performance-based, and we'll talk about that. So I have to say and I'm going to address the elephant in the room there are people and the saying is you know, I am enough, I'm perfectly flawed and I don't take away from that you are enough. But I've met a lot of people who use that as an excuse to not do more or be more a crutch exactly so.
Speaker 1:What we're saying is in this episode is you are enough, but most of the time, ordinary isn't enough, so you have to push through and be more, because you can do more. Right, right, it's, it's in our nature, it's who we are. Um, I love this concept of ordinary keeps you comfortable, whereas extraordinary pushes you out of that comfort zone yeah, into a whole nother realm in space yeah.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to give some examples of when ordinary isn't enough because, again, cory Corey and I two different people. He performs extraordinarily almost all the time, and I say almost, because I'm not going to give an absolute. Okay, I'm just not going to do that.
Speaker 2:I don't mind.
Speaker 1:Okay. So some of the things that come to my mind when it isn't enough is when you have opportunities that you might feel aren't going to come again. It might be a promotion, or it's a big presentation that's like the determining factor of your trajectory, of where you're going to go next right right that kind of way, or it's a crucial conversation and you're really going to have to stretch yourself.
Speaker 1:We see this a lot during times of adversity. There are people who show up in extraordinary ways and we've seen this in community right, where we help each other during family crisis or during an uncertain moment, and so we see that happen, turning points in relationships. I think you should be extraordinary when you are in a relationship that matters to you. So I hope most relationships matter to you, but like, for example, speaking of the anniversary, corey, you and I are do or die kind of relationship.
Speaker 2:All in or don't go.
Speaker 1:That's right. So you deserve and I deserve my extraordinary efforts in this relationship, yeah Right. So a lot of other times, too, where you go extraordinary in relationships is when you've got to rebuild trust Right, because you've got to gain that back Personal goals and dreams. It's when you again you push through and you don't quit. So that's when I say ordinary isn't enough, because big things are going to happen if, if you do this in extraordinary ways go ahead.
Speaker 2:I love your face right now say what you want to say see, I just live in a different plane, on a different plane and in a different plane because, uh, I was taught some, some key things. You only get to make a first impression once. What if you run into your next wherever you go? So that's why, when I go to the grocery store, I'm getting fully dressed and I'm looking my best. That's why, when I I go anywhere to do anything, I never know when I'm going to meet someone or run into someone from my past that has, um, opportunities or events that I may be able to capitalize on. And so being extraordinary and standing out helps me to go to that next level. Now you say well, what if you go 20 places and nothing ever happens? I still feel good about myself and I still feel extraordinary and I walk away with the confidence that, even if something didn't happen, I was ready for it yeah, yeah, and that's beautiful, because I agree with that mindset, corey.
Speaker 1:I think looking your best or being on top of that is so important, especially when you don't feel that great.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean that plays a big part. We've heard of studies where they've taken groups of people and have put them in prison uniforms, jail outfits, and put them in that setting. And these stand-up people all of a sudden want to act criminal.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, because you dress for the part that you're gonna play and it's a real thing, yeah it really is, it really is. So I love what you're bringing up too, because we're not saying extraordinary has to be over the top, not at all.
Speaker 2:No, extraordinary is that one percent, that above the notch, that elevated, elevated moment right yeah, you got dressed, you put on some deodorant, got your hair looking right, brushed your teeth. Now here's the extraordinary. I want a spritz of cologne.
Speaker 1:Everyone's like. That's my ordinary, God, I hope that's your ordinary.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, please, let's not go there. We've seen some. Well, we won't go there. But yes, the extra sometimes is a little bit of cologne. Or wear your newest pair of shoes as opposed to your oldest pair of shoes, or put some socks on with those shoes instead of just going oh, just throw on the flip-flops. I know it doesn't look right with this, but I'm gonna do that anyway. You just have to begin to think in a more elevated manner, to allow yourself a a chance to be different from everybody else yeah, so he's covering the mind over matter.
Speaker 1:Piece of Extraordinary.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:I'm going to give an example and yes, right now I'm going to focus on us as authors of the Fuzzy Furry Forest series, because it's so relatable to us right now and it's relevant. So recently we had a book signing for Kelly Kanga, but let me give some context before that. So we just started getting into book fairs and pop-ups and stuff like that and I you know, corey and I were like, yeah, we need, we need our setup, like we need our branding. I know we're we're branding ourselves, but we need some of that stuff around us. So I'm like, okay, he's like let's do backdrop and I'm like, yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 2:And normal backdrops are. What size?
Speaker 1:uh, eight by five eight by five yeah so five feet is gonna be the width of the table, if not a little bit bigger. Something yeah, that's that's cool. That Something yeah, that's cool, that's standard. Yeah, that's ordinary.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Well, corey's on. Nah, we're extraordinary. So Corey came home just smiles because he had ordered all the stuff and this backdrop is amazing and it's a 9 by 12.
Speaker 2:Yes, indeed, and very brightly colorful and amazing.
Speaker 1:Spectacular. And then we have our little side banner thing or tablecloths. But the thing is is this is what extraordinary will get you? People stop and are in awe and they just automatically their attention is drawn and the table starts to fill faster because of the look of the booth. So I've learned to play with you, corey, on the extraordinary.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:For me. I was like it's not practical, it's our budget and you start going there. But you are worth the investment, whether it be money, whether it be time, energy. Extraordinary is the way to go, and I think of people who want to promote and here was my rationale. So you kick butt during an interview and you go extraordinary. Right, you lose sleep the night before you're reviewing all these questions and answers, but the thing is is, if you're like Corey and you're just extraordinary every day, it's less stress during the interview.
Speaker 2:So much less stress. And again, you know I lean heavily into the book fairs and the boutiques and the pop-ups where everyone is fighting for the same thing Someone's attention, someone's dollar, possibly, or someone's investment into you or your brand, which is you. And so if you are willing to look sound and act like everyone else, there's a good chance that you might not get seen. It's the extraordinary that takes it to that next level for someone to say wait a minute, there's something else there, there's something that I really want to see and be a part of. That's what I'm searching for. That's what I'm looking for.
Speaker 1:Love that. So, corey, we're going to give some tips on how to step into your extraordinary I love it. Don't even say your, I mean yours, yours, the people who are listening.
Speaker 2:Not mine, yours.
Speaker 1:Yes, because we're sharing some stories on what we've done, and it's because we're the only two behind the mics right now, um, but we really want to encourage you to step into your extraordinary. So here's some really practical steps and cory, you and I are just going to ping pong, sure, and so my first step would be get clear on the why. So it always helps me to time my efforts into a bigger purpose. This is bigger than me, this is bigger than my fear, this is bigger than my resistance. It's like do the thing right and just tie into that and remember your why, and your why has got to be big.
Speaker 2:Huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that would be my practical step number one.
Speaker 2:My step number one would be to dream big, big, big, huge like never before. If you saw it five feet, dream it 25 feet, dream it 55 feet. And the reason why is because the bigger you dream, the more impact you're going to have in reality. And that's what you're trying to do. Let me just give a quick story on dreaming bigger than everybody else. If you're not familiar with the band called Kiss, there was this rock and roll band back in the day and I'm sure a lot of people remember who they are, but it wasn't that they were so amazingly talented, but they had a stage show that was unmatched by anybody else at the time. You want to know where pyrotechnics come from. Kiss brought that to the stage pyrotechnics come from.
Speaker 2:KISS brought that to the stage and so when you've seen the explosions and the lights and the flashing, you knew you were at a KISS concert and you just couldn't get that anywhere else. They were extraordinary with the makeup on their faces and the outfits and it became a thing to do those type of things so that you can.
Speaker 1:Stand out, stand out. Yeah, dream big.
Speaker 2:As big as possible.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to piggyback on that. That's a beautiful reminder to dream big. While you're dreaming big, activate your intentional energy. So I'm sure Kisses asked themselves back in the day what is going all in look like right now.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, I could do it this way, but what does all? In mean, it's like when we did when we're doing fuzzy furry forest series, you do one book, now we're gonna make it a series. 13 books, guys. Yeah, that's the all in, and uh, it's been the gift that keeps on giving yeah, with purpose and vision yeah and a dream that's
Speaker 2:really, really big. Yeah, um, my last one is to have a goal, not just one, but multiple goals, but have a starting goal and a finishing goal. So you want to have a one-year goal, you want to have a five-year goal, you want to have a 10-year goal, and each goal should be 10 times bigger than the first one or the one before it, so that you never stop having to push and that you never get comfortable. The moment you get comfortable is when you've kind of given up on yourself and it's you that has to push yourself. Nobody's going to push you in this and you say, oh, this is just way too much work. This is just way more than I ever asked for.
Speaker 2:Again, and I hope I made myself clear ordinary is fine. There are people that have wonderful, clear ordinary is fine. There are people that have wonderful, amazing lives. With the ordinary. You want to write one book, you want to sing one song, you want to do one job promotion and then you want to throw in the towel and retire that. That's fine. But if you're looking to do that next big thing, you got to start thinking extraordinary.
Speaker 1:Have some goals goals, yeah, and to help you do that, really tap into your strengths, because you're not going in this alone. No, and when I say alone, I don't necessarily mean people. Yeah, you want support group, yes, you want community, but you've got to rely on your strengths. Lean in, lean in, do what you do best and amplify it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and don't be afraid to acquire some role models. I'm not talking about people you can mimic. I'm talking about people that you can pick and choose what attributes that you want to acquire most and then make them your own and even grow them a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, so my last one. I think this is the last one on our behalf as far as tips to step into. Your extraordinary is push through the resistance. And there will be some, yeah, lots, I think the way to push through is you've got to raise your standard. Guys, like, stop asking yourself what's good enough and change that question to what's my best right.
Speaker 2:Oh, I like that jim.
Speaker 1:I really like that a lot that one has worked amazingly for me and I know I need to take that mindset and put it in a couple of things in my life right now and it's a process, right, but you've got to spend time in those questions because I think cory is people we spend a lot of time in the places of resistance and so what you give your mind to, what you spend time in, is gonna, is gonna win yeah so I say spend time in what does my best.
Speaker 1:Look like like what. What do I need to do to go all in Play in that space and don't let yourself talk you out of it.
Speaker 2:Right, and then you got to ask yourself those questions like well, how did I show up the last time? Was that good enough? If it was good enough, how can I top that? How can I go a little bit further? How did I come across last time? And, guys, these are questions I'm literally asking myself every time I do anything. This is me, though. I just have to continue to push because, again, I never know when my next opportunity is going to come and, with that being said, I'm sure my our story of this past weekend.
Speaker 1:Yes, and remember the tips that we just gave, because I think we're going to see how they came into play for us.
Speaker 2:Right. So everywhere I go, because I got caught slipping a couple of times in the past where I would go places and didn't have business cards, I didn't have the books, I didn't have material that I could give to people or show people, because you just never know when that opportunity may present itself. So as we were packing and getting ready, I made sure to run to the room and grab a set of books all four and I put them somewhere where I wouldn't forget them and easy accessibility. And when I unloaded the car when we got to the hotel, I made sure to leave them in the car. So we go to this amazing boutique before breakfast and we meet this woman who is an entrepreneur and she's doing her thing, and she had already talked to Jen about a few things when I was off doing my shopping. And then, when Jen was in the corner doing her shopping, she asked me what I, what I did, and I introduced myself as a published children's book writer and author and she gave me a look of no way.
Speaker 2:But I didn't know that no way was because she was. The wheels were churning, I thought it was in doubt. Well, here was my opportunity. I'm not only going to prove that I'm an author. But I'm also going to try to capitalize on the boutique and the store. So I excused myself, ran out to the car and grabbed the books you want to take over from there, jane.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you walk in with the books and she's just so grateful. And of course she asked from one business owner to another, how much are these? And I'm looking at Corey Now. Corey is so extraordinary that my man would give a book to everyone if he could. And so I just I looked at her and I said you know, what we'd really love is to see our books in your store for sale.
Speaker 2:That was the very extraordinary that I was looking from Jen, because Jen is always thinking extraordinary once we turn the switch on for her as well yeah, and you know it's a sale.
Speaker 1:When people do this, when they start to envision what that looks like, she goes oh, I could put your books up there on that shelf yeah, man and so she's like how much would you charge me for them?
Speaker 1:so she's already going that route and so ultimately there's that and we've been invited to do book signing at her boutique. So we're going to be going back to beautiful Scottsdale. So excited about that. And what I love, corey, is, over the weekend we were talking about the different things and we had succumbed to this fact that part of being extraordinary and we didn't use that word at this time, so I'm just adding that in right now is, yes, being prepared and planning and diligent, and then sometimes just not really having a plan, and actually the plan is to be ready for whatever's going to come our way our way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm glad you said that, jen, because we can plan all day and all night for something to happen or for something to happen a certain way, and it just might not go that route, but you can always be prepared for whatever's going to come your way. And the boutique lady asked us questions that we hadn't planned on, but we were prepared for the outcome of that next question and then what would lead to being invited to do a book signing, which is incredible. And again at that moment, uh, cool, and the game came on in our, in our soundtrack, and down, down, down, down, down, down, down down. Yeah, so I'm dancing on the inside and I'm watching Jen, and Jen is a very good poker player. She's never gonna give her true feelings away, whereas I make crack and break, so it's important that I walk away oh, g, oh, you're the sweetest thing, though people.
Speaker 1:People may not know this about you. In fact, I'm sure they don't know about you. Corey is so excited about doing business with people, about plugging in, like he'll give up innocently the goods before it's time, or he'll show like super eager that there's no more negotiating, like it's like well, I guess we're doing this and and I and I love to sell, I love that process, but you're like a kid in that way, and I mean that with so much respect.
Speaker 2:I'm working on my game face, though, guys, so I love it I need a little bit more time to get that the game face thing down pat yeah, so it.
Speaker 1:That is our example of being extraordinary. And see, it didn't, doesn't take too much. You have books with you or you have a dream that you you know you want to be a writer or a singer or you want to promote.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you, man, people are looking at you every day, all day, and they may not say anything, but it's, it's amazing when it's time, and people say stuff yeah, I'll tell this last little story, jen, and then we'll go wherever you want to go, because I had a previous life as a singer, as a background singer and a solo artist. I'm not saying I was the best or the greatest, but I was. Extraordinary music world is that you always got to be ready to sing, no matter what people are going to ask you to sing and believe it or not. When I traveled in certain circles, that was the thing sing something. And so that moment of being embarrassed and holding back or let me see what song I'm going to sing, or you know all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Once I removed that and I did very quickly and someone said sing something. Even though I was in a group, I just started singing. I sing whatever song came to mind and I sing it to the best of my ability. And so a lot of people would say, well, did you get a big record deal? No, I did not. But let me tell you what I did get. I got plenty of opportunities to sing background with some amazing people. I got plenty of opportunity to be in the room when things were going down and people were writing songs and I was asked what my opinion was and got writer's credit. So it's those moments to be a little bit more extraordinary and that's a singing musical world and I just wanted to share that with you guys as well. I hope that helps someone yeah, I'm sure it will.
Speaker 1:I'm sure it'll help quite a few people there. Um, I wanted to say this one thing for people already to take the extra extraordinary daily, go for it. For people who are still processing this, sometimes the extraordinary is just even thinking what's one step, one step that I can do this week just to push through the resistance. And because you're already thinking it, that's powerful because everything begins in your mind yeah and um.
Speaker 2:Your thoughts matter, so if you can start to change the way you think into being extraordinary, that'll happen oh, yeah, and and, like she said, having that run through your mind changes the game, simply because you're not contemplating an easy play. You're contemplating there could be resistance, there could be someone that's trying to stop me or interrupt me or change the direction or the trajectory of this particular conversation or thing that I'm trying to do. But if you're already thinking in that mindset, you'll know okay, I have to shift gears, I have to pivot, to pivot. Oh, pivot's huge in all those circumstances.
Speaker 1:But yeah, you'll be thinking in that, in those terms yeah, I want to say one, one more one more, one more I, I definitely need to say this um, this, as most of you know, is mine and cory's second marriage, second shot at this, and I just know that when you're doing something over and that you've experienced failure, maybe some insecurities, or you're just like, do I really want to make myself vulnerable again, you have to be in a mindset of extraordinary because you're giving it. You've raised your standard in essence, right? So I think not. I think that's part of us celebrating 19 years into our second marriage. That's huge. So I just want to say it's been a blessing to be extraordinary and I hope that this mantra rings, energizing for people listening and it's this if it's worth it, then it's worth my all you said that very much so different, with more impact than I've ever heard it before, and I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's worth my all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm just sitting here and enjoying the silence of and just letting that ring inside me. If it's worth it, then it's worth my all and I'm like thinking of all the things yeah, that's what I was doing marriage, children, uh career, uh friendship, family relationships. Yeah, everything it's worth my all hmm, anyways, you know, we appreciate you. We do we appreciate you guys so much and love you and just thank you for being here with us on our anniversary.
Speaker 2:You thought I forgot. I did not forget.
Speaker 1:What's that?
Speaker 2:This big event we have coming up this week at a backpack giveaway with LA Care and I'm so excited because Jen and I will be a part of this event and we are just looking forward to introducing the Fuzzy Furry Forest to the kids and to LA County and just all these wonderful situations. So man can't say enough about extraordinary opportunities. Well, jen is struggling right now. We'll say it like this you know us at, take the elevator, we say look up and let's elevate Every day, elevate Every day. You try to drown me out with this Elevate Every day, elevate Every day.
