The first step toward becoming extraordinary is, of course, to stop being ordinary.
Go ahead, do something impossible.
Average feels safe but it's not. It's invisible.
The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.
The tragedy is that society (your school, your boss, your government, your family) keeps drumming the genius part out. The problem is that our culture has engaged in a Faustian bargain, in which we trade our genius and artistry for apparent stability.
There are lots of good reasons to abandon a project. Having a little competition is not one of them.