Why do people celebrate averageness?

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Brian Kight

Over the past 25 years, it has become socially cool among middle-aged adults to celebrate their indifference to excellence and acceptance of average. The resistance part isn't new. That's been around for all of history.

What's new is how often capable people form part of their identity around their averageness and do so pridefully, as if it's something to be respected.

What's new is how people promote their averageness to attract empathy, praise, or belonging: Average effort. Average willpower. Average discipline. Average shape. Average marriage. Average fulfillment.

People think average means safe, but average is not safe. Average is dangerous (watch this after you finish reading).

An average marriage is not safe. It's at risk. An average leader is not safe. And provides no safety to others.

Average health is not safe. Nor is it comfortable. It avoids brief discomfort only to experience chronic physical and emotional discomfort.

Excellence is not only more productive than average, it's safer. Resist or remain indifferent at your own high risk.

Brick by brick. Do the work.

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