The Beauty of Being Average
Just a Soliloquy About The Beauty of Being Average
The Tyranny of Greatness: My Reflection on Why Average Is Not Failure
From a young age, I’ve been fed a story: be extraordinary or be nothing. Excel, achieve, innovate, win. Being average meant being invisible, insignificant—a fate almost worse than failing outright. Parents, teachers, society—they all reinforced this message until it became my own internal mantra.
And, of course, I believed it. How could I not?
Every day felt like climbing a never-ending ladder, each rung a new competition for self-worth. Anything less than remarkable—in my job, relationships, even my physical appearance—felt like defeat. But deep down, a thought began to gnaw at me: what if average isn’t failure, but freedom?
The Trap of Chasing Perfection
On the surface, ambition looks admirable. It pushes us forward, helps us build incredible things, explore new frontiers, create beauty out of nothing. But hidden behind ambition lies a dark side—the belief that our worth is conditional, tied directly to our achievements.
This same toxic idea extends to how we view our physical appearance. Every wrinkle, every blemish felt like evidence of personal failure. Social media, beauty standards, airbrushed perfection—they all screamed the same message: if you aren’t beautiful, you’re worthless. The mirror became my battleground, each perceived flaw another attack on my self-esteem.
Slowly, this obsession with physical perfection poisoned my sense of self. It convinced me that I wasn’t beautiful enough to matter—that my very existence depended on meeting impossible standards.
Rediscovering the Value of “Enough”
The relentless pursuit of greatness robbed me of something precious—the ability to cherish ordinary moments. Morning coffee, quiet conversations, the simple joy of just being—I overlooked them all because they weren’t extraordinary enough.
And with my appearance, it robbed me of self-acceptance. Instead of embracing who I naturally am, I felt compelled to constantly improve, enhance, and alter myself. But lately, I’ve begun to question who decided these standards of beauty. Who really benefits when I believe I’m not enough?
When was the last time I felt peace simply being average—in my appearance, my accomplishments, my life? Maybe embracing “enough” isn’t about giving up, but about reclaiming something deeply human and authentic. Maybe stepping off the ladder isn’t failure—maybe it’s freedom.
The Emotional Cost of Rejecting Average
Believing that average is synonymous with failure didn’t just set me up for constant disappointment—it fractured how I saw myself. My identity became something measurable, my self-worth contingent on external validation and success. The fear of mediocrity made me fear my own true self—the imperfect, ordinary, beautifully human me.
Rejecting my averageness meant rejecting my humanity. And that, more than anything else, is what made me unhappy.
Finding Joy in Being Human
Here’s the simple truth I’ve finally realized: most of us are average by definition. There will always be someone smarter, richer, more attractive. But that’s not failure; it’s balance. It’s humanity. To be human isn’t to excel at everything—it’s to exist within a beautifully ordinary spectrum.
Maybe instead of running from average, I can embrace it. Being average connects me to others through shared experiences—love, laughter, pain, growth. Life isn’t always extraordinary. Sometimes, it’s simply quiet moments strung together, creating meaning in subtle ways.
The Power in Letting Go
Letting go of the idea that average equals failure is hard. It means unlearning years of conditioning, facing the emptiness once filled by achievements, productivity, and impossible beauty standards. But beyond that emptiness lies real freedom.
Freedom to simply exist without constant judgment. Freedom to accept myself, not for what I accomplish, but for who I am. Freedom to look in the mirror and see enough—not perfect, just human.
So here’s what I choose: I dare to be average. I dare to be ordinary. In a world that screams for greatness, accepting myself exactly as I am might just be the most radical thing I can do.
When I look in the mirror, I remind myself of this powerful truth: I am enough.