Despite hours of darkness,
in a land far away,
vivid colors begone,
enjoying some days of gray.

It’s okay to be average. You don’t have to be exceptional at everything you do. You don’t have to strive to be the best in all disciplines all the time. There is nothing wrong with striving, of course, but sometimes it’s worth to do things just because you enjoy doing them.

I will never be a National Geographic photographer, or a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, or a world-class skateboarder. I’m fine with that. I still enjoy taking pictures, writing, and yes, also skateboarding. Even though my best days in regards to the latter are behind me.

Reminding yourself of these truths from time to time is important.

It’s okay to be average.

A bird can just be a bird. When the sun rises it isn’t accompanied by a feeling of dread. It’s daily tasks are solely comprised of being a bird and being a bird still.

Humans are a problem. There’s no place for us. I cant just go out into the woods and be a human. But then again, I have a taste of the finer things and I’m an enlightened person that doesn’t care to live in the woods anyway. So I have a job, I put in my 40+ hours a week, I pay someone for the privilege of having a roof, I drive 15 miles a day, and I take care of a dog.

This lifestyle has cost me friends. It has cost me relationships. I cannot visit my family without it being rubbed in my face that I merely live like a king. That’s right- a king.

The fact of the matter is that I have a steel pod that lets me travel 65mph and traverse hundreds of miles. I have clean air, water, unspoiled food that I didn’t have to even make. I have a bicycle for my mind that lets me express myself in ways that man was unable to for most of recorded history and an audience of thousands subscribed to see what I make. On a daily basis I get to watch cinematic productions that cost millions of dollars to produce. I can role-play with millions of people across the globe in virtual realities. I can, at a moments notice anywhere in the world, talk to people I know, wherever they are. I will likely live to see 90.

Kings never lived like this. Presidents never lived like this. Yet I am apparently barely scraping by.

I could work harder and get a better steel pod. A faster mind-bicycle. A bigger castle. But in the end, if I can’t be happy with the amazing life I have right now, what hope is there that any of that is going to help. If my peers could get off my back I think I’d be okay.

The above quotes are taken from an answer to Why isn’t it ok to be average?

Translations

• German translation by Der Geier

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