Abnormally Normal

Abnormally Normal

Share this post

Abnormally Normal
Abnormally Normal
I Wish I Had The Confidence To Be Average
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

I Wish I Had The Confidence To Be Average

Why is 'average' a dirty word?

Ali Hall's avatar
Ali Hall
Dec 12, 2023
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

Abnormally Normal
Abnormally Normal
I Wish I Had The Confidence To Be Average
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2
Share
Photo by Anil Xavier on Unsplash

In my quest for “success,” I swat away the possibility of average like it’s an insult.

Since when did being average carry such a sting, an unspoken stigma, an unshakeable weight?

I long for the freedom of not caring whether I’m good enough. Trying so damn hard all the time is exhausting, and for what - the chance of being better than average?

Why can’t I accept average?

I initially wrote, “Why can’t I settle for average?” That in itself is telling, as if being average is something we settle for but not something we aspire to.

By the law of averages, most of us are average. There is nothing wrong with average, yet I expect more from myself.

Most of my friends are average people who live in average houses and do average jobs. But you know what isn’t average about them? Their hearts and souls are off-the-charts exceptional. They sprinkle and sparkle in ways the top percentile of humankind could only dream of.

Is it about relevance?

If we’re not relevant, ar…

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Ali Hall
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More