I used to think I was special person with unique talents. And to a certain degree that is true. We are all special. We are all unique. And we have experiences and thoughts and ideals that only we can have. There is no one exactly same person on this Earth. Everyone is different.
But, I used to think that I was meant for “great” things. Whatever that meant. I had a huge ego that was all about finding that special experience. All about getting the coolest gadgets. All about my experiences and my findings. Me, me, me.
And I was pretty talented in a lot of things. From piano, to tennis, to skiing, I had a very diverse extracurricular life. And this talent made me overconfident in my thinking. Thinking that I was ahead of the crowd. One above all. Some amazing person where the sky’s the limit.
But, as I grow older, I realize that some of those mindsets of achieving big things and becoming the best person ever on the face of the Earth didn’t really serve me too well. It led to much social anxiety and much agitation and discomfort. I was not at peace with myself, and always felt like something is wrong with me if I didn’t achieve a certain degree of success.
After a while, I finally came to terms that yes I am unique. However, I am not really that special neither. I have good thoughts just like other people. I have bad thoughts just like others. I have good times. And I have bad times. Sometimes, I’m happy. Sometimes, I’m sad. Sometimes, I’m at peace. Sometimes, I’m agitated. Sometimes, I’m in the zone. Sometimes, I’m agitated.
All these experiences I’ve felt before. And I’m sure the billions of people on the face of this Earth have felt this in some form or the other. We are all so different yet we are also the same in many ways. I came to terms with being simply okay. Maybe even just average. Is that okay? Is there something wrong with me? Should I continue to strive and achieve “great” things in life?
Should my life simply be one highlight reel after the other? For the most part, it has been not. There are many mundane parts of my life. My weekends aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire for the most parts. Many times, I just stay at home reading a good book or partaking in online Zoom hobbies. Nothing more. Nothing less.
And these mundane feelings made me feel very ordinary. Like I was simply one of the many. Like I didn’t stand out in front of the crowd. Like I was just one in a sea of billion human beings searching their own story. Writing their own life. Playing to the beat of their own drum.
But ironically, this feeling is kind of comforting. It’s kind of comforting to be average. To not stand out as the lonely top of the world. As the number one in a sea of averages. It’s kind of invigorating (dare I say) to be moderate. To be average. To be in the middle.
And sometimes, I can experience how I feel about a certain case or situation. And extrapolate this onto other people assuming that they may also feeling the same about this certain situation. And in many cases, that may be right. Or it may be wrong. Who knows.
But it’s kind of comforting to be in the middle of a great sea of average. A great big ocean of maybes. Of simply being a part of the crowd. Not standing out. Being someone extravagant. Being at the top of the summit. Living life on the edge. Partying like there’s no tomorrow.
It’s kind of comforting to just be yourself. Whether you are special or not. Who cares? Whether you are in the upper half or the lower half of the spectrum. What does that really matter? We will all perish at some point in our lives. All this talk about being special or not will go with us to our graves.
So, just appreciate your ordinariness. Your mundaneness. Most of us on this Earth are not Mark Zuckerberg. Nor are we Jeff Bezos. Or Jack Ma. We are simply average people living an average life on this beautiful planet. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
There’s something comforting about being ordinary. About being simply another guy. About doing just enough to get by. There’s something peaceful about that. Not simply striving everyday for big goals. Not being discontent with the present moment. Continuously practicing gratitude helps. And it’s okay if we’re simply average.
What’s the big deal? What’s the worry? What’s the rush? We are who we are. Special or not. Average or not. High or low. Big or small. Left or right. We are all average in our own unique ways. And don’t worry about the highlights you see on social media. Just be grateful for where you are, where you came from, and all the life you have left to live. You are one in a million. And yet that attitude makes you small and average. And that’s okay.
We are all in this together. We are all connected in a beautiful way on this beautiful planet. We are all trying to make things happen. Thinking big. Failing. Succeeding. Having a multitude of experiences. We are all unique. And that uniqueness makes us average. If that even makes sense.
Anyways, just appreciate the here and now. And find comfort in the mundaneness of it all.