Why are we afraid of being average?

So this summer I decided to make artwork that features quotes for my future apartment, and it includes anyone ranging from Buddha to Albert Einstein to J.K. Rowling. And in order to find the perfect quotes for my wall, I had to flip through my quote book that I’ve been curating since I was 16. While there are some that will always have a special place in my heart, there is one that has always stuck out to me. And not necessarily for the best reason.

Taylor Swift once said the quote: “I’m intimidated by the fear of being average.” Now, even though I completely dislike her for so many reasons (none of which I plan to go into here), what she said really got me thinking. First of all, she could never be average. She looks like a model and is famous, which together pretty much puts her in the top billionth percent of people. The last time she was considered average she was probably eight. Second of all, what’s wrong with being average? Why do we always feel the need to be the best at something? Why aren’t we content with being the best at being us? Or the best version of ourselves? Why aren’t we content with normalcy?

I mean there isn’t anything wrong with setting a goal to be the best. Even at one point (a long, long time ago) I had a dream of going to the Olympics. Setting that goal or the goal to become a movie actor or find a cure for cancer or become President is all totally ok. The real problem lies in not being ok with not reaching those goals. Only one one millionth of a percent of people get to compete at the Olympics. Only 0.0086 percent of the world is famous. Only .783 millionths of a percent of people are models. Only 0.1351 percent of people are doctors. So honestly, the odds really aren’t in your favor.

And don’t see this as me trying to tell people not to reach for their dreams because I’m still trying reach for my dreams myself. I’m saying reach for your dreams, but only a few will actually go all the way. And for those who don’t, be content that you even got as far as you did. Be happy that you did your best. Because the only reason you should be doing things, anything at all, is for yourself. Or I guess to better yourself. What I mean is that you shouldn’t be doing things just to say you’re the best at them. You should be doing them to say that you can do them and because they make you feel good. I mean how many people do you know who are great at something, but do it even though they hate it? I mean sure, people do that with jobs because they have to put food on the table, but you don’t see people who hate to run running marathons. That just doesn’t make sense.

If you can’t make it to Broadway, be the best drama teacher that you can be at the local high school. If you can’t make it to the college basketball team of your dreams, revel in your trip to the State Championships your senior year of high school and lead your intramural team to the finals. Be the best at making your boss’s job a little easier. Be the best at making sure you call your parents every week to make sure they know what’s going on in your life. Embrace the small victories because they really add up to something huge. You don’t have to be a big success to be a winner.

After all, it is the average people that make the world go around. Without farmers where would we get our food? Without construction workers where would we go to work or live? Without electricians and plumbers how would we ever be able to turn lights on in our homes or have flowing water? Without teachers how could we come to understand how the world around us works? Without average people, everything we know would cease to exist. I

And so I’ll leave you with this one last thought: the next time you think of yourself as average, don’t. By definition average means “typical, common, ordinary.” As humans, there is nothing typical or ordinary about us. Sure we might have a few things in common, like genes or religion or nationality, but there is no typical or ordinary human. Every human has the vastness of their own creativity and logic to become something so unique that there will never be two people alike. We all have our own special talents, no matter how small they may be. And that makes us all extraordinary, even if it’s extraordinarily average.