JUST Average: A Lesson I’ve Learned in My 20’s

It isn’t uncommon for parents of little kids to encourage their little ones to aspire to amazing and incredible things. My own three-year-old wants to be the Hulk when he grows up. While becoming Hulk is totally unrealistic, I would be a terrible mother if I squashed his dream at this age, right? You hear it all the time, “You can be whatever you want to be if you work hard enough.”. Or “you are special.”. Yes, those statements are true to an extent. However, I feel like we are missing a sense of realism in average life.

The hardest lesson I’ve learned in my 20’s is that I’m “just average”. And that’s OK.

Woah, woah, woah! Some of you reading this may get up in arms over this statement. That’s ok too. I’m not here to crush your dreams. I’m here to give you a little slice of peace in your life.

In 2019, I started blogging because I was committed to the idea that my life would be more than “just average”. There was BOUND to be something extraordinary in my life, right? Maybe it was influencing thousands online via social media. Safe to say, my life isn’t destined for extraordinary social media influence. Who knows, maybe one day something will change, but in the mindset I have now, I am starting to see the VALUE + WORTH of “just average”.

Yes, there is value in being “average”

Let me explain. Your “average” and my “average” may look very different. I feel like when we force trying to be something extraordinary or amazingly influential we actually loose part of who we are or part of who we really want to be. I honestly hate the phrase, “just be yourself” because it seems like an empty and unproductive statement. But in this case, it is important to not forget yourself. This best fake richard mille is a testament to sophistication. The attention to detail in its design and the precision of its movements reflect a commitment to creating a timepiece of lasting value.

However, the fact is, you (and I) are always changing. Well, hopefully we are flexible enough to never stop changing. Our spheres of influence (even if they evolve) will always be around us and we can’t miss out on those. I mentioned my 3-year-old. For any other moms reading this, you will understand the sponge-like mental processing of a kid this age. Everything I do (average or extraordinary) he sees. His younger brother copies the things HE does. My “just average” life has the potential to set an extraordinary example on two (almost three) very influential lives. I can’t believe that an influence that significant is downplayed in our society as “just average”. That type of influence is FAR (and I wish you could be with me when I say this sentence) FAR greater than trying to sway fashion trends, like I spent 2019 trying out.

I’m not minimizing the social influencing industry here.

If you are a fashion blogger or any other influencer reading this, please don’t feel like I am minimizing you or the work you do. I’ve seen first hand how hard you work and i’ve done your work for a year. I believe you do possess extraordinary qualities! But like I said earlier, your idea of average can be totally different than mine. And I hope you hear what i’m saying, THAT’S OK!

Don’t downplay your influence, even if you feel your life is not extraordinary.

We watch a lot of The Incredibles in our house. Syndrome says that “when everyone is special, then no one is special.”. Maybe i’m just a five year old, but that kind of make sense. I might get tons of hate mail for saying this (from the 20 people that read this blog) but we can’t all be special in the sense of “superhero/extraordinary”. Eek! I said it! Are you OK with that statement? Part of me still wants to backspace it all and not believe it.

My real-life potential may be far less than what I hope or dream and i’ve come to terms with that. I’ve decided that I want to wrap up my twenties living the most extraordinarily “average” life. At least if I do that, I know I will be true to who I really am and what I believe my true purpose in life is.

Are you comfortable being “just average”?