It almost feels like an insult just reading those three little words doesn’t it? Average is Awful. Our immediate response is to think “I’m not average." Nobody wants to be average in anything they do – heaven forbid in our career. Related:Is Your Interview Mindset Stopping You From Success? In fact, we want quite the opposite - throughout our careers we want to be seen as extraordinary, exceptional, and knowledgeable. We want others to think of us when they ‘need to know,' or need advice or inspiration. Now brace yourself: I’m not average (my own three little words). I have talents. I know there are things that I do better than you. Offended? Good! Funny how that works. But let me explain why I allow myself to be so self-opinionated! I’m pretty sure you’ve heard talk about being the best ‘you’ that you can be. But like most people, you haven’t a clue how to do that. Turns out, it’s not that hard! It took me a while to realize this, but all a person has to do is… LISTEN. That’s it, the sure-fire path to your best ‘you’ - just listen. Stop brushing off the compliments. Stop! Listen to what people thank you for, compliment you on, and ask for your help with. Those things are your talents, and in order to be your best ‘you,’ it is a simple matter of focusing on your talents. Use them, be conscious of them and go trail-blaze your career! And that is why I confidently say that I’m not average, that I have talents. People have told me so! One day, I actually heard the compliment, and I didn’t get embarrassed and brush it off. I accepted that yes, thought about it, and realized I’d been told quite a few times. Then I realized, hey, I was better than many at quite a few things! What’s more, the compliments all related to things that I loved doing, and the things that I find easy to do… and the odds are stacked in favor of it being the same for you! We all deserve to love what we do. Of course, there can be times when you have to do whatever work is available just to pay the bills, but it's plain and simple: we shouldn’t be going to work just to collect a pay-packet. We should aim to use our talents, even in our lowest times. If we consistently take part, share ideas, use our talents, see things through, and get results simply because we can and we want to, we reap the benefits, and we find that we’re happy. And ‘happy’ is the magnet that naturally attracts all the good stuff. So, pat yourself on the back when you receive compliments, know that you deserve them. You are already standing out! Obviously, not everyone will become a millionaire just doing what they enjoy – but hey if you do come up with ‘the next big thing,' well, go you! Really, it’s simply about NOT being satisfied with average. There you have it. By focusing on what you enjoy doing, and the things that come easy to you, you’ll become the best ‘you’ possible. Believe the compliments you receive, think and act as if you always knew it, perfect those talents by revisiting your studies or attending some interesting short courses, be open to opportunities to use your talents - and it’s practically written on the stars that you will be the best ‘you’ imaginable. Practice really does make YOU perfect! So, why wait? There’s nothing stopping you, start hearing your compliments and grab them with both hands – they’re yours so own them! As 'they' say, ‘it won’t happen overnight,” but it will happen if you focus on what you enjoy and have natural ability for. There can be no other result than ‘perfect you.' Aaah, bliss! This post was originally published on an earlier date.
