The world's okay-est [fill in the blank]

These days, everyone seems to be GREAT at their thing. Everyone is EXTRAORDINARY. We tell our children they can do anything! We have bloggers who are the EXPERTS in their fields. We have the BEST blogs / podcasts / Twitter feeds / Instagram feeds, etc.

I'm all about living life in the superlative. This is the BEST coffee I've ever had! That is the CUTEST dress ever! I love those shoes so much I want to marry them!

Here's the thing. If everyone is extraordinary, then that word itself has lost its meaning. And I'm here to restore its original meaning. I'm not really extraordinary at anything. Perhaps I'm the only person in the middle of the bell curve, but that is where I exist.

I do not write this in order for you tell me, "Oh, no! You're great at ... that thing!" I'm really not. I cook fairly nice meals but nothing to get a Michelin star for. I run, but until I'm 80 and the only one running in that age group, I won't win any race. I sew / knit / craft, and what I make is fine, but not likely to earn accolades or even money. And I'm okay with being just okay.

That's the thing with the bell curve. Actually (in a mansplaining sort of voice, I offer this to you), the bell curve represents the normal distribution of things. Here's one I made (and in case you're interested, I used this blog to create it in Excel). And to prove my point, it's okay, but not great :)

So, MOST people are okay at the thing, while SOME people are really very good and some are terrible. Only a very few are extraordinary. And most never will break out of that center bit. Can we all be okay with that? Some would call it lack of ambition, but I'm here to tell you. No matter how many hours I train, I will not ever win a race until I'm 80. I just won't. Plus, honestly, I don't want to work that hard, especially knowing it will not pay off. And that is true of most things I do.

My point is this - can I just enjoy being okay / average / normal? Do you have to feel less-than just because you are, literally, less than some, but right in line with most? So, would you like to celebrate my okay-ness with me? I'll celebrate yours like you are the BEST okay-est person in the world!