Avoid Average.

sad mature businessman thinking about problems in living room

60 Hour Work Week

I found myself talking to a stranger at work the other day who told me he was a construction worker.

We made small talk as I prepared his double-shot espresso and discussed the fact that he was about to clock his 60th hour of work for the week.

After handing him his coffee and seeing him off, I did the math in my head on how much I’d make if I worked 60 hours in a week.

Although nice in theory, I quickly thought of the sacrifices involved and how it “wasn’t normal” to do such long days.

It wasn’t until I had a spare moment later on that I realized how quickly I was to discard the idea just because it wasn’t the “norm.”

To me, the idea of working an additional 20-something hours on top of the work week already prescribed to me immediately felt unnecessary.

“Why would I do that when it is not needed to get me by?” I thought.

I’m thankful to live in a country where this is mostly true, but ultimately my thinking was flawed.

What’s Wrong With Average?

Most people wouldn’t get too upset being referred to as “normal.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being normal, as it refers to you as neutral and non-offensive.

Nothing out of the ordinary, just standard.

Most people, however, wouldn’t like to be called “average,” whether it be about their appearance, skill sets, or personality.

We try to avoid the title of average as it implies we are inferior or less than.

If someone said you were “average at your job” or “average looking,” you wouldn’t be inviting them to your next get-together in any rush.

So why then do we allow ourselves to be average?

As in my example earlier, I quickly dismissed the idea of working longer hours because it wasn’t what the average person does, so why would I?

That’s just it, though.

The average person isn’t willing to do those extra hours and, as such, will not put themselves in a position where they can make an above-average wage.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that this idea can creep into all parts of my life and not just work.

If the “average” person eats the “average” diet, they wonder why they look only average.

The amount of exercise the average person gets also only produces average results.

(I’m not talking about recommended averages either; I mean the actual averages.)

It appears that the average way of living doesn’t seem to be bringing average people closer to the goals they want.

I’ve definitely fallen into this mindset before, thinking, “well, everyone else does/doesn’t,” hoping it allows me to cheat myself out of my goals guilt-free.

Well, it doesn’t work.

You just end up falling in with the pack.

The Way Out

As always, I’m on this journey with you and don’t aim to preach or give advice with any authority, as I’m still a work in progress.

What seems to be the way forward for me, at least, is to let go of this idea of what is fair or normal and allow myself to do things that are uncommon and different from the status quo without reservation.

Whether that be training harder than the average person, eating better than the average person, or living a more fulfilling life than the average person, there’s a sense of pride that comes with knowing you are performing above the mean.

You actually can stay up late to finish that assignment. You’re allowed to be at the gym for three hours. Working a double shift on minimal sleep once in a while actually won’t be the be-all and end-all. You might find the sense of accomplishment rewarding.

Be smart about how you do it and look after your health first and foremost, but if you allow yourself to actually behave outside of average, you will eventually become above average.

The sooner we stop waiting for things to be regular, ordinary, or fair, the sooner we start achieving goals others aren’t willing to.


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