Exception

Whenever we see talents who sparkle and shine - in academics, in business, in sports, in politics, and whatever fields of human endeavors - we admire them and become inspired by them. Overwhelmed with awe, we commoners readily subside to the background and play audience to the stars' performance.

But we are also keen to dissect their performance, analyse their personality traits as well as search their evolution background with a view to guaging a recipe for success. We may also be dreaming our secret dreams of filling gloriously in their shoes one day.

On the other extreme, however, jealousy may get the best of our inferiority complex that we deny these top performers - in the banal fields of business and commerce, if not the noble disciplines of science - of any recognition due but snub them with cynicism and even badmouth them, and anything about them.

In any case, we should not forget but be enlightened with statistics that the 80-20 rule always applies in life, that, by definition, the exceptional performers forms the minority, though contributes to the majority of impact. What constitutes the exception, as opposed to the rule, is always a matter of statistical inference - whether it is down to destiny or luck or any other discernable factors of metaphysics or human behaviour.

Socrates, Caesar, Einstein, Newton, Bruce Lee, Tiger Woods, Steve Jobs, Obama...or even simply those people who earn 20 times more than you do form, by statistical inference, the exception but not the rule. Be inspired, without feeling belittled in any way. Love being yourself, or live miserably.