Have you ever picked up a book about a favorite character and said "what a lot of things that happened to this person!"? Maybe you have watched a movie and said to yourself "if they had only done this one (probably very reasonable) thing then the next hour of activity would never have happened"? Or the "if they had only used 'common sense' the story would not have occurred"?
The reality is that most people live ordinary lives -- lives where many things happen to make one day progress to the next -- where it might be possible to use a rubber stamp in a journal rather than having to jot down the whole day. But people typically do NOT write down everyday happenings. They note "special" occasions -- a wedding, a vacation, a birth, a first step (lots of first steps happen all the time -- but it can still be a miraculous first step for each individual), etc. In fact, people write down such ordinary days so seldom (or, if they do, don't keep them around) that it is a real find for an archeologist to recover such.
What was a "typical" day for a serf in thirteenth-century France? What did a queen do throughout the day in 17th century Netherlands? What did a person of the Iroquois nation do on a winter day? Life may seem boring, and habitual, to the person living it at the time but armchair adventures can be exciting to someone reading about the everyday happenings of a different culture, place, or time.
In history, we normally learn about (often from only one point of view) big, "important", events -- and they are important. They are also only a very small slice of what has actually gone on with the various billions of people who live, and have lived, on the planet. If we ever invented a "time machine" (for many reasons, likely a very bad idea), the person would probably want to be able to speed up through sleeping periods, restroom breaks, and most of the events of each day.
And so it is with books, stories, and movies (and podcasts and other media). I would never want to be within 100 yards of some of the detectives (amateur or professional) that I read about. The odds of something happening to me would increase tremendously. Yet, I continue to read them (invoking the "suspension of disbelief" often needed while reading fiction) because I know that it MIGHT have happened to SOMEBODY at some time. It may be incredible but it isn't truly unbelievable (even though, originally, those words meant about the same thing). "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" -- Arthur Conan Doyle narrating as Sherlock Holmes.
Or take a "soap opera" -- or daytime serial. Having all the things occurring to a particular person, or family, as it occurs in constant procession is so unlikely statistically that it would be much better to buy a dozen lottery tickets. "Reality" programs on television may portray potentially real activities, events, and achievements -- but they're rarely (if ever) packaged up so nicely in someone's daily life. The movie "The Truman Show" lets the viewer take part in the every day of someone -- but I'll bet they arranged a number of events per day to allow a little adrenaline to flow.
A book about the life of someone who lived in Roman times might be of interest to people. A book about the life of "Joe Neighbor" who lived an ordinary life and wasn't noted for much would have a very difficult time finding readers. This is why books are about things that happen rather than things that just occur. There needs to be a plot to make it different from all of the things that happen all the time.
Does this apply to personal life also -- not just "recorded life"? I think so. Although there are certainly cultural differences that make a huge difference in approach. Japanese "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down" versus the US "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". A person who gets noticed will be thought about. In one culture, the positive attention will be associated with being a team player who can consistently be relied upon -- while in the other the positive attention may come from being outspoken with individual contributions.
Unfortunately, just like in a novel, a person will get noticed for negative actions also. If you strive to be noticed for positive actions then not only will you be thought of but those who work with you will want to continue to work with you.
In meetings, affirm and attribute contributions -- add to others' comments but make sure they get primary credit. Just doing what you should be doing will fall into the same "plotless" situation as an everyday journal. But people being aware of consistent reliability and responsibility is good. Listen well before speaking.
Be assertive but stay away from aggression (many have great difficulty understanding the difference between the two). Both will get you attention, but your peers will appreciate assertiveness much more than aggression. Once again, attitudes towards groups will affect the way people are perceived. A member of one group may be perceived as aggressive while the very same behavior of someone in another group may be perceived as assertive. Life is messy.
