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Originally Posted by BigBen
I see myself quoting the words of my leadership prof:
"Dare to be Average."
Think about that for a minute. He had this concept pegged from the start, and it was really challenging to understand his rationale. I had been surrounded by a hyper-competitive environment for so long that I had trouble accepting my abilities and achieving inner peace.
Once I realized that grades were not important but rather the journey of knowledge was I able to let go and succeed. What do I succeed at, you ask? Being average.
Remember: Exactly half of the people (minus 1) you meet will be below average...
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This is a sensible vision of things I think. I was not educated in the States but I can relate to this thread.
I think all over the world, putting aside self-help which can be a good thing most of the time, people are being fed this message that we are all destined for greatness and for getting the BBD. This expression was said to me by an American friend - it's the Bigger Better Deal. Because of this message, we are all thinking we always want better and more. We are never happy in ourselves, and with what we have already.
There always has to be more. Okay sometimes there is more, but I believe that is not where happiness lies. Applying this not only to education, but to life in general, and also particularly relationships, why do you think more and more people don't get married, get divorced, and generally break up at the drop of a hat? It's all made too easy and we are all so empowered and full of rights that we have to have them (those things we are "all" entitled to apparently) otherwise it's not worth it, that we don't try that hard to make what we have be enough to make us happy....and sometimes all it takes is a little compromise, and learning to be a little more selfless. I'm not saying people should sell themselves short, but sometimes when it's good, like that cliché in the movie "as good as it gets", maybe as good as it gets is ok.