The acts that galvanize me the most are the ones that are done quietly with no fanfare. Those people keep their head down, concentrate on what they are trying to accomplish and keep working at it. When we hear someone has passed a difficult exam or realized a long-term dream, we are immediately inspired. But what we watch with awe is only the final result. What is hidden is the steady and disciplined effort that went into it – rallying against obstacles and doubts, failing and trying again, dealing with the mundane (often boring) daily preparation, fighting distractions and so much more. All this happens in the background while the people around them are caught up in their own lives.

Those banal pedestrian parts of a person’s journey… that is where the real lessons lie.