Everyday opportunities are hidden in plain site all around us. Like being in the Matrix, the passing parade of humanity glides through life in a conscious coma of mediocrity. Only those who challenge the status quo and battle the enemy of average will have the veil of ordinary lifted.

The other day I was reminded of a story about Marty and Chris, two young entrepreneurs, who decided lemonade stands reminded them too much of archaic outdated business models that made average homogeneous products (Ok, this is my version of the story). But they did want to do something different from every other kid in the neighborhood. I mean, how much better can you make lemonade than Molly or Jimmy down the street. Each of the last two summers they had a lemonade stand which was mildly profitable. Only problem was that each summer new stands were going up. The James twins now had a lemonade stand, and so did the Thompson kid, not to mention the youths three streets down sold pink and regular lemonade. Sure, they lived in a populous neighborhood, on one of the connecting streets between main roads that brought many prospective clients by. Unfortunately, this summer’s business was slow, it was almost as if they became invisible to the drivers-by passing from Market to Oak streets. This year, rarely did their pitcher of tart nectar quench the thirst of anyone but the police officer that emerged twice a day from a canopy of pines and elms which stretched their arms at the sun providing him shade and stealth. This gave Chris and Marty an idea.

The following day as Brad White was running late to a lunch appointment and hurriedly driving down the cut through street he saw a boy sitting in a lounge chair, under an umbrella, sipping lemonade, and holding a sign that read SLOW DOWN!! COP WITH RADAR ½ A MILE AHEAD.” Faithfully, Brad’s foot compressed the brake pedal and the car’s speed dropped just below the speed limit as he noticed a police car crouched in the tree line like a Lion lying in wait for unknowing prey along the Sarengeti. “That was close” Brad mused. About a mile down from the radar wielding officer was another boy, fashioned much like the first, with a sign which read “TIPS PLEASE.” Brad pulled over next to where the boy sat holding a stack of greenbacks, and tossed him a $10 bill.

When we step away from the masses our creativity gains strength, no longer drained by the kryptonite of the mundane, and we can see the opportunities to contribute in ways others haven’t. The greater our contribution to our community and marketplace the greater the rewards we reap. We must continue to cast off restraints and free our creative minds. Then we will have the vision to see the opportunities that lie invisible to the crowd.

photo credit: Gabe Mulley

The other day I played in a charity golf tournament at Salem Glen. It so happened that I won the long drive hole (a career first). At the end of the round I was awarded a prize donated by a Wealth Management brokerage house in town. The prize they gave me was a box of generic golf balls and an umbrella. Really! Seriously? What did they hope to accomplish here?

You do not need to be a golfer or care anything about the sport to understand the problem here. First of all, the participants of this event were some of the most prominent executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals in town, and you are going to give away a $10 box of golf balls probably picked up last minute at Kmart? At least that is what the gift said to me.

When we give a gift, we are promoting ourselves, our company, or our organization. The perceived value of what we have to offer (product, service, self, etc.) is demonstrated by what we give and how we give it.

We must take advantage of this great opportunity to exceed the expectations of our audience and recipients. Then back it up. When we do this, we are on our way to becoming “remarkable.”