It has become an accepted part of our culture today to believe that we are all destined to something truly extraordinary. Celebrities say it, business tycoons, politicians, say it.
Each and every one of us can be extraordinary. We all deserve greatness; the fact that this statement is inherently contradictory – after all, if everyone were exceptional – then by definition no would be astounding – is missed by most people And Instead of questioning what we actually deserve or don’t deserve, we eat the message up and ask for more.
Being Average has become the new standard of failure; the worst thing you can be in the middle of the bell curve in the middle of the pack.
When a culture’s measure of success is extraordinary, it becomes better to be at the extreme low end of the bell curve than to be in the middle because, at least there, you are still exceptional and deserve attention.
Many people choose this strategy to prove to everyone that they are the most miserable or the most oppressed or the most victimized.
Many people are afraid to accept mediocrity because they believe that they will never achieve anything if they get it, never improve and that their life won’t matter.
This sort of thinking is dangerous. Once you accept the premise that life is worthwhile only if it is truly notable and superb, then u basically accept that most of the human population ( including yourself) sucks and is worthless.
And this mindset can quickly turn dangerous to both yourself and others.
The rare people who do become truly exceptional at something do not because they believe they are outstanding. On the contrary, they become amazing because they are obsessed with improvement.
And that obsession with progress stems from an unerring belief that they are, in fact, not that great at all. Its anti entitlement. People who become great at something become great – they are mediocre, average, and could do so much better.
All of this “every person can be extraordinary and achieve greatness” stuff is basically just jerking off your ego.
It’s a message that tastes good going down, but in reality, it is nothing more than empty calories that make you emotionally fat and bloated, the proverbial big mac for your heart and your brain.
The ticket to emotional health, like that to physical health, come from eating your veggies – that is accepting the bland and mundane truths of life: facts such as “your actions actually don’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things” and “The Vast majority of your life will be boring and noteworthy, and That’s Okay.”
This vegetable course will taste bad at first. Very Bad, you will avoid accepting it, but your body will wake up feeling more potent and more alive once ingested. After all that constants pressure to be extraordinary, the next big thing will be lifted off your back.
The stress and anxiety of always feeling inadequate and constantly needing to prove yourself will dissipate.
And the knowledge and acceptance of your own mundane existence will actually free you to accomplish what you truly wish to achieve, without judgment or lofty expectations.
You will have a growing appreciation for life’s essential experiences, the pleasures of simple friendship, creating something, helping a person in need, reading a good book, laughing with someone you care about.
Sounds boring, doesn’t it? That’s because these things are ordinary – But maybe they are familiar for a reason because they are what actually matters.