Are You Average or Are You Extraordinary?

So a thought popped into my head during my endless work with AJE.  It was an easy thought to come by looking at my title. It was a thought encapsulated by this very title question.  Are you average or are you extraordinary

Average 

-ordinary or usual

-about midway between two extremes

Extraordinary

-very unusual :very different from what is normal and ordinary

-extremely good or impressive

This seemingly easy question can be a little tricky to answer, when you think about how you were raised.  Were you a part of Generation Me and always told you were extraordinary no matter what?  Did you and all your classmates all get a gold star all the time?  Has your amazing skill in something recently seemed not so awesome in comparison to others you've noticed?  Did you just recently find out that you were really good at something, like no one else? Did you think you were average for a big part of your life and then realize that you and your family were anything but?  Did it happen when you moved to a different town?  Changed schools?  Grew up? What happened there?  Did these questions bring you any closer to finding out if you were average or extraordinary?  Let's find out.

Okay here's the truth.  I only offered you a false dichotomy.  An either/or.  I offered you black and white when there's at least...50...shades...of...gr...adients in between. I challenge you to look at your life and not find something that is average and conversely something that is extraordinary.  You are capable of both facets in every area of your life.  Maybe you have an extraordinary talent but like to do normal stuff like watch TV and sports, or attend weekly social activities that are more well known.  Maybe it's the opposite and you don't feel you do anything extraordinary but you like all manner of weird and niche stuff or activities that no one else even knows exists like urban exploring, LARPing, or even that new indie book series that you recently got into.

Whatever the case I think it's great to acknowledge both of these parts of our lives.  Embrace the Average because it helps connect you with others.  It's our common ground so to speak.  It's a bridge for connecting with others and a reference for beginning long lasting friendships.  Embrace the Extraordinary because it naturally comes out of you.  It shouldn't be stifled because you're scared to stand out and be who you were naturally meant to be.  That extraordinary-ness is within you and sometimes it separates you from the crowd and that's okay.  It's such an uplifting feeling to embrace that side of yourself that I recommend everybody try it.  To do so you only need to find out what part of you is extraordinary and cultivate it.

So are you average?  Are you extraordinary?  Which one will it be?  Or have you realized the truth?

When Life Passes You By

There is no time, none at all. We usually have work, family, friends, and other societal expectations that truly drain that precious resource and leave us none for ourselves. How do we handle this? More specifically, how do I handle this? I make lists and I make empty promises, to myself and what I believe to be my benefit. I make lists of movies I want to watch (and will watch), things to buy, books to read, games to play, music to listen to, people to visit, ways to improve, and the fun I eventually want to have. I list down my life and promise myself that I will eventually live it. Now though we have goals, you and I. We make those goals to survive and to succeed. I understand. Our lists, we must work towards it. We both know that.

For some of us time is an obsession.

But notice that in no time at all, those lists that we started so many years ago are still mostly unaccomplished. Not many check marks there I see. Notice how our lists have continued to grow as our time has dwindled more and more. If yours is anything like mine then you’ve seen it double and triple and quadruple. Those shows, books, games and songs are still out there for your consumption but worse yet are the small things you probably forgot to do. You’ve probably forgotten to write your grandma that letter you told yourself you would for Mother’s Day. You probably still haven’t made it up to your friend for missing that one hang out session months ago. Your list has probably grown to impossible heights unless you’re smarter than me and decided to scrap it a long time ago.

Friend. Will we ever have the time? Will we ever catch up to our lists? How did we get so comfortable with our lives passing us by? How do we reconcile this? How do we reconcile our desire to satisfy our deepest desires with living our lives? How do we live in a way that entails that our lives are not just lists? Can this be done while adhering to our path of goals? I search for these answers every day. My search continues. What about yours? Have you found your balance? Comment below and share your story.