Embrace the average

I was listening to an old episode of The High Low Podcast yesterday and they were discussing being distinctly average. If you type in “being average” into a Google search the first raft of responses are about how we shouldn’t settle for average, we should strive for being the best, the biggest, the highest paid, the most (insert noun of your choice). This implies that being average somehow isn’t quite good enough. Well I’m here to say that being average is just fine. It’s fine for you, where you are in life at this moment of time.

I’ve never really been supremely brilliant at anything particularly. I’m OK at stuff and reasonably good at some stuff and rubbish at other staff. We can’t all be brilliant at everything. I don’t particularly see this as a negative thing and its not something that bothers me.

I do the best of my ability at that time, in those circumstances. I’ve got to where I’ve got in a contrived workplace hierarchy through hard work and learning. I do believe that we should strive to be our best self, but that might by being average in terms of how the outside world relates.

I personally feel that Average is the new Great. Living your own life, the way you want to. I don’t aspire to be a CEO, I don’t aspire to have a massive house and garden and fancy stuff. I don’t aspire to be a jet setter, an influencer, marathon runner, or a fashionista.

I love the fact that I have some authority and some responsibility in all walks of my life. I have a home, car and a safe environment, which in some areas is what others aspire to. I make the occasionally good cake but I make some naff ones too. I can ring some methods including some surprise royal and maximus methods, but can’t ring some of the more basic methods or five or six bell methods. I can cook edible food but I’m not a gastronomic genius. I’m a parent of a well grounded, independent 23 year old but I didn’t get it right every time. I have some good days and some bad days.

According to Tim Denning, Its OK to be average, and average is a state of mind. What matters is the difference we make.

Embrace and celebrate being average 🍾