Answer by Lukas Schwekendiek , life coach, motivational speaker, and blogger, on Quora :. Most people waste a LOT of time, usually 60 - hours every week, because they have too much down time and are not busy enough. Make a schedule. Schedule every 30 minutes and fill it to the brim with stuff; this can be stuff that makes you excited, it can be work, it can be sleep, it can be watching a movie, it can be learning to play an instrument, etc.
Just pack it full so that you are the one in control of your time and so that you learn what you are capable of. When someone says it can't be done, or that it is impossible, you should be the first one in line to test it out. Test it, see if it actually is impossible, and then make it work out somehow.
Become the person everyone goes to if they want something handled that is too hard. That will make you way above average through the skills you learn in handling difficult problems, never giving up, and through realizing that your potential is far greater than you believe. Not just by studying in school, but especially about yourself, how to improve yourself, and how to master all the areas of your life.
Study every single day. Learn at least for an hour a day by watching videos or reading, and you will be way more knowledgeable than the average person, which gives you more control over your life. Most people finish 4 books in a year; if you can do 6 - 12 times that amount, that means you will be 6 - 12 times ahead of everyone else, ahead of the average person. If I meet you in 10 years at the airport and ask you what you have done in the last 10 years, would you rather say, "Oh I just watched a lot of shows and movies, and played a lot of games Or would you want to say, "I worked really hard on achieving my dreams, I became a master in every area of my life, I traveled the world, met amazing people, and finally got my dream job.
You are not choosing this life in 10 years. Competition never made sense and always felt unfair to me, even when I was one of the winner s. Hi everybody! I always wanted to, but, well, maybe one could say that at the same time I wanted to avoid feeling mediocre after reading the posts.
And a thirst to prove yourself. So what I ask is: is not-wanting-to-be-mediocre and the-thirst-to-prove-oneself the same thing and if yes, whom do we want to prove ourselves to? A girlfriend has recently brought my highly gifted self down to earth again when she said that I am not a genius. Hurt a little, but felt good at the same time. I have noticed that being human is much more comfortable than being a godlike creature of ideas and achievements. Should I go back to the age-old description of multipods?
Truthfully, in the end I will probably be both things at the same time: mediocre and above average which makes me above average overall… ; just another human and the one who inhabits this very special body at this very special time in the world.
I feel like I got off topic. I want to thank you for this article: it feels good remembering that I am a very average multipod.
I really appreciate your story, Vero! Very irrational! Also, we should try to avoid societal comparisons to evaluate worth. On a spiritual, religious or as witnessed by Near Death Experiencers, every person is treasured, priceless and contributing to love, wisdom and knowledge.
Reminds me of the discussion here recently about originality. Thanks John! Besides, is being better than other people the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything? Go ahead and pursue excellence. How interesting, thanks Paco!
I definitely like the idea of celebrating the good of all and the good of the collective. As you say, individualistic assumptions are baked into the dominant culture here. And yes again to your final paragraph!
I just love your comment so much I want to print it on a t-shirt and make everybody read it regularly? The more people there are in the world, the harder it is to stand out. Now, to stand out, people have to do something outstanding, more and more and more.
I have been thinking about this so often and came to the same conclusion myself! How can my averageness contribute positively today? Thankyou Neil — this was such a great read and resonated so strongly, as did a lot of the comments.
Neil Hughes, thank you so much for this post. I often feel intimidated by the puttyverse for the reasons you state- everyone seems to be doing so much! I find that as a multipotentialite I am at a disadvantage compared to specialists when it comes to measurable achievements in one field.
I do have to say, Neil, that it is the greatest irony Alanis Morissette-style that you have achieved perfection in an article…while writing about embracing mediocrity.
Thank you for this. I am going to be mindful about when I feel compelled to react angrily to a gentle plea either internally or externally to consider the benefits of resting in my averageness which as we have discussed, is a word. I think the point is not to compare to others, just with your self. Trying to beat your self everyday will make you a better version of yourself, and I think that is what really matters. Be the best version of yourself you can should be our goal.
This would allow you to continue growing and at the same time not think that you are average, because you are developing your potential. Thanks so much for sharing!
I can really relate and I could have written this blog ;. I am in the process of accepting my mediocrity. I dislike the fact that everybody on YouTube or Instagram is amazing and incredible. I feel like I have to keep up. But I also wonder: how much energy does this cost? What if you just stop and just do what you love, why is that not good enough? I compare myself a lot with others. Keep up the splendid work! Everybody should be above average! Your turn Do you embrace your own averageness?
You Might Also Like Add to the conversation Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Their premise was straightforward: sometimes parties conspire, whether consciously or unconsciously, to achieve either a low-quality or a mediocre outcome.
It appears it has to do with people shunning a perceived tyranny of excellence. It goes some way to explaining Italy's fabled la dolce vita - its famously laidback lifestyle. But if the old adage is that all good things in life are free, then la dolce vita comes at a price and the price is high standards.
Take the case of Italian olive oil manufacturer Leornardo Marseglia, who was charged with fraud in the s for selling adulterated oil under the label "extra virgin", something that should denote it is of superior quality, say Origgi and Gambetta. Even in Italy, extra virgin olive oil is expensive, and when Mr Marseglia was later acquitted he justified himself by arguing that thanks to his adulterated oil many people could afford to buy it with the label "extra virgin" at a reasonable price.
Mr Marseglia told The New Yorker magazine that at home, his family used ordinary oil anyway: "For us, the concept of 'good' is enough. We want to be average folks. But the route to mediocrity isn't always paved with such disingenuity. I like to write but that doesn't mean I'm the greatest writer. I'm just kind of plain. Krista studied for an education degree, dropped out after suffering bouts of anxiety and depression, and is now a certified holistic nutritionist and "joyful living educator".
I feel like that isn't life and I don't want it and I can't even begin to keep up. So many of us just want to get off that hamster wheel and just breathe. But many of us never do. For some, sheer hard work may transform that wheel into a ladder, but what if it doesn't? What if all that hard work goes to waste? Mark Manson is a popular blogger on personal development issues who gets thousands of emails from readers every year. More recently he noticed that a lot of the advice people were looking for was for issues that weren't really problems at all.
Rather, they were worrying about their achievements, about not excelling or standing out in their chosen field.
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