I am average. Yes, I said it. And I feel relieved.
We like to remain in denial of the fact that most of us are inherently average. The grandeur of success and talents has become more important now than ever because of the fast-paced nature of technology and economic privilege. In the grand scheme of things, an article of an average person like mine might not feel normal to many people.
We must acknowledge that, for every Leo Tolstoy, there are struggling writers such as myself spending hours after hours only to get up and go over to the next task. For every Claude Monet, there are many others merely slapping paints on street walls. A sense of entitlement to extraordinariness and establishment has been ingrained in us since birth. But how many of us are actually destined to be the next Elon Musk or Bill Gates? I am here to urge you to push aside those unrealistic scenarios that you have burdened yourself with for a moment; and look at yourself.
With every success story, motivational video, and fictional character embodying perfection surfacing on your timelines, the unrealistic and worldly image of yourself expands obnoxiously. You believe that you will one day have a number of sports cars in your garage, a few yachts in a few marinas, and worldwide influence. Your hopes and mind eventually inflate without any effort to come to an end that most of us are familiar with. Sure, you can surround yourself in a bubble but it bursts, someday or the other. You are average.
There are a few dark aspects to mediocrity in today’s time and age. People put invisible weight on our value based on our success. There are invisible crosscuts on our faces when we go on to put ourselves out there for the sake of ourselves, be it social events or any other. You feel and you hear people judging you both to your face and behind your back based on your credentials, a position you could have never chosen for yourself. You feel your existence questioned. At such instances, it is necessary to assert, “If being average calls for such fallout, so be it.” There’s no point lying to yourself.
Somehow, being average in society puts you on the edge of a cliff.
Being around those who have had success in their lives and trying to follow their exact footsteps could blur your vision and make you nauseated. It becomes more important that one accepts one’s mediocrity and continues to explore their interests. The influx of information at the tip of your fingers may confuse you. However, you need to look within yourself. Chances are, you have already found out what makes you happy.
One sad evening, I got inspired by the regency era and tried to master crocheting. The day was humid and nothing was going my way. I still tailored clothes with every kind of fabric known to mankind. I later realized that this momentary feat of mine would never impress a college authority. I tried my best to cut through the self-scrutiny and explain to myself, not everything has to be an organized sport or a competition with the hope of a scholarship or a career path dangling at an end. Sometimes, you do things for the short bursts of dopamine, and that is absolutely fine.
Ultimately, the submission to mediocrity lifts the stress off your back to be the next ‘big shot’. The feeling of inadequacy will dissipate. You may also grow to be more understanding from being able to measure yourself against newer means: enjoying the pleasures of friendships, caring for others, reading a good book, and having the emotional tools to tackle the complexities life offers up.
At the later part of success when it gets ingested, what is one left with if not the simple rules average people live by? The thrill of success subsides eventually. One must learn to live knowing that they are mediocre.