Want to be extraordinary?

While moving our office, recently, I chatted with one of my office partners as we watched her TV loaded.

“I’d never have a TV in my office. It’d drive me crazy,” I said.

Though to be truthful, I’ve been told on occasion that’s a nearby destination.

“Wow, my husband watches TV constantly,” she replied. “We have 10 in our house. And another 6 at our mountain condo.”

“Yikes, we have one. And we’re not hooked to cable. We just stream a program while we eat dinner or a movie on the weekend. I can’t imagine watching that much TV.”

“Well, my husband can’t survive without it.”

Now, I’ve never watched TV much. And I clearly remember our son, when he was young, one evening curing me of even the little I watched.

We’d enjoyed dinner together and I’d gone into the living room to watch a program I enjoyed.

He came in, sat down beside me on the sofa and said, “Dad, do we have to watch TV?”

I looked over at his little loving face and replied, “No we don’t.” And I turned it off and never turned it back on in an evening again until our kids left for college.

And what did I do instead?

Well, let’s see.

I talked and played with our kids.

Talked with my wife.

Hmm, went to bed early occasionally with my wife.

Read books.

Slept enough.

And the result?

I have a great relationship with both of our now grown children.

Have a great relationship with my wife.

Learned the equivalent of several additional college degrees.

Built successful businesses.

Invested and built our net worth.

Enjoy great health.

Oh, and enjoyed a few early nights with my wife.

To live an extraordinary life you need to do what the ordinary choose not to do.

               -Doug Armey