Without any embellishments. Without any touch-ups. And as per the dictionary, "with no special or distinctive features; normal".
The extraordinary, on the other hand, is unusual or remarkable.
I like Seth Godin's definition of remarkable - worth of a remark.
We all strive to be remarkable.
And in striving so, we grow a sense of disdain for the ordinary.
So much so that "ordinary" can be used in an insulting or derogatory way. "He's just ordinary."
Our lives are full of ordinary things.
When we do something consistently, for a long period of time, that becomes our practice, our routine and something that is normal to us. Ordinary.
And one day, if and when the right opportunity shows up and with a sprinkling of luck, we can build on this mass of ordinariness and perhaps do something remarkable. Extraordinary.
Extraordinary, then, is derived from the ordinary.
Consistently being ordinary leads to extraordinary results.
It's ok to be ordinary. It's nothing to be looked down upon.
CONVERSATION