---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first step toward becoming…"
description: "\"The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of course, to stop being ordinary.\" — Seth Godin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png"
---

#  The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of…

![“The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of course, to stop being ordinary.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png)

> “The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of course, to stop being ordinary.”

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Extraordinary achievement requires abandoning ordinary habits and mindset.

**In simple terms:** Stop being ordinary to become extraordinary.

Key Takeaway

Break routine, aim higher.

Themes

self‑improvement motivation achievement

Mood

determined inspired

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- career shift
- personal branding
- creative projects

Key Concepts

growth mindset habit change

Questions to Reflect On

- What ordinary habit limits your potential?
- How can you redefine “ordinary”?

A Different Perspective

Ordinary comfort can hinder risk‑taking.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/)

## Related quotes

> [“And that just makes it all the harder, doesn’t it? Not being special. Not having that funny mark or that omen at your birth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-c-esslemont/and-that-just-makes-it-all-the-harder-doesn-t-it-not-being-special/)

[Ian C. Esslemont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-c-esslemont/)

> [Any departure from fact is the first step on a slippery slope toward unbelievability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-henry-iii/any-departure-from-fact-is-the-first-step-on-a-slippery-slope-toward/)

[William A. Henry III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-henry-iii/)

> [Looking beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/looking-beauty-in-the-world-is-the-first-step-of-purifying-the-mind/)

[Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/)

> [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [It may be that we are puppets-puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/it-may-be-that-we-are-puppets-puppets-controlled-by-the-strings-of/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/)

[Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/)

> [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/)

Robert M. Hayes

> [Commitment is taking the first step, even if it means falling the rest of the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/commitment-is-taking-the-first-step-even-if-it-means-falling-the-rest/)

[Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/)

> [I can turn an idea into a business before you know it's going to be important. My first step will blow by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-can-turn-an-idea-into-a-business-before-you-know-it-s-going-to-be/)

[Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/)

> [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/)

[Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/)

> [How do you turn the invisible into the visible? The first step is to define your dream precisely; the only limit to what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/how-do-you-turn-the-invisible-into-the-visible-the-first-step-is-to/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [“Women create an idealized, hopeful vision for the future to inspire other women. Fiction and fantasy are the crucial first steps to changing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rodale/women-create-an-idealized-hopeful-vision-for-the-future-to-inspire/)

[Maya Rodale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rodale/)

> [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/)

[Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/)

> [“I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-remember-wondering-within-a-year-or-two-of-taking-my-first-steps/)

[Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

## More by Seth Godin

> [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

[Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

## More Becoming quotes

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/)

[Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/)

> [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/)

[Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/)

[Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/)

> [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/)

[John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of course, to stop being ordinary.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Seth Godin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordinary-is-of-course-to-stop/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Becoming"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordinary-is-of-course-to-stop/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/seth-godin-152_becoming_the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordi_2937189.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of course, to stop being ordinary.” — Seth Godin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Seth Godin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The first step toward becoming extraordinary...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordinary-is-of-course-to-stop/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-first-step-toward-becoming-extraordinary-is-of-course-to-stop/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
