Ask Tim Carlin '78 and he’ll tell you: he’s just an average, ordinary guy. What he’s come to realize, however, is that being ordinary doesn’t mean you can’t do something extraordinary with your life. It was this realization that helped inspire Tim to write his first book, An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life: Lessons Learned, which is now available for sale.

“I wanted to write this book for a couple reasons,” Tim explained. “First, to leave a legacy for my family. Second, I wanted to inspire folks not only as they were going through life’s challenges, but then coming out of the other end of those challenges, to do extraordinary things.”

Tim has learned that having a positive attitude coming out of a negative experience can have a major impact on those around you. Whether it’s a cancer diagnosis, being bullied, getting laid off from work, or having a relationship problem, we all have a chance to learn and grow through those difficult experiences. Tim certainly has—and how he’s sharing those lessons.  

“Difficulty is just a fact of life,” Tim said. “But through constant self-reinvention, embracing challenges, and putting your ego on the shelf, you can persevere through those difficult times and come out the other side as the type of person who improves the lives of others.”

Of course, this isn’t always easy to do. That’s why Tim wrote An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life. In it, Tim draws on his experiences to give readers a crash course on facing life’s challenges and seizing its opportunities. He wants to help others look to the future, stop taking the easy way out and selling themselves short, and forge their own path instead of following the crowd.

“I want to help readers take what they have and make the most of it,” Tim said. “I know that small changes, when taken together, allow you to change your world for the better!”

Readers have responded positively to Tim’s book. One reviewer wrote: “Tim’s book is a wonderful recounting of a well-lived life and the lessons he learned on the journey. By discipline, planning, and commitment, Tim accomplished many of his life goals and found strength to battle the challenges he met. He refines his life in eight lessons he learned and those may be good measures of how all of us can find happiness and success in our own lives, just as he has done in his life. A great read and a good addition to anyone’s library.”

Of those eight lessons, one of Tim’s favorites is the value of service to others and hard work. It reminds him of chopping a big Redwood tree down: it’s not going to fall immediately, but if you just keep doing a little bit at a time, it’ll eventually fall. Your effort is not in vain.

“Another lesson I share is: everything is OK until it’s not,” Tim said. “That means not assuming things will continue moving in a positive direction. I need to proactively work to ensure my life goes the way I want it to go, whether that’s in my marriage, career, or other areas of my life.”