Are you average? That’s a hard question to answer on your own, but here’s an easy test.

When making decisions in your life have you ever asked yourself, “Is this normal?”
Have you ever tried to keep up with the competition?
Have the words, “Yeah, but…” ever crossed your lips?

If you answered yes to any of these then chances are you are average.

So what is wrong with being average? Our whole lives we are taught that average is enough. For example; in school, average grades are enough to move on to the next grade or satisfy parents and teachers. Average means not being noticed. It means blending into the background. It means following the herd.

Average is mediocre.

In the following video marketing guru, Seth Godin speaks about mediocrity and the importance of being exceptional in today’s world.

The book he is referring too 3 minutes in is called “The Dip.” It’s about recognizing and deciding when to quit and when to stick. I recommend it to anyone who has ever been faced with a challenge in their life. (that means you!)

You can find Seth’s Blog here or in the side bar.

Since Kunu is a start-up and I have worked with a lot of start-ups through the years I thought this article would be of value to a lot of folks. It’s called Start-ups are all Naked in the Mirror.

And if you’re a start-up here are some Start-up Lessons from the same author, Mark Suster.

Here’s a great article from one of my favorite blogs, The Art of Nonconformity, about winning.

“Criticism is often motivated by the discomfort some people feel when others succeed. It’s easier to bring winners down a notch than it is to rise to their level. Winners who possess self-confidence and focus are often labeled as arrogant by those who lack both qualities.
From: The Art of Nonconformity

I had a sudden dose of this strange phenomenon when I won the Matthew Good video contest way back when. Amongst the waves of positive feedback came a lot of negative and ignorant feedback that, at the time, I did not expect. I had never posted a video that had more than 1000 views on YouTube and all of the sudden Born Losers was on it’s way to 30,000 views in a matter of days. It was both exciting and nerve wracking having so many strangers view my art at once. I had never had such a huge forum for feedback and the quantity of negativity was something I wasn’t prepared for. Looking back, a lot of it was probably out of envy while the rest was ignorance.
A similar situation occurred with an acquaintance from high school when things started looking up for me and my family. They stopped communicating with us and and claimed we were becoming too competitive.

Sticks and Stones

These situations are sad and unfortunate. They can wreak havok on your self-esteem if you’re not careful, but it’s not the end of the world.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

I remember the first time I used that phrase. I was about 5 years old. There was a girl in my neighbourhood who called me a mean name and I remember walking up to her house, knocking on her door and saying those infamous words too her. Then I went home. I don’t remember anything after that, but for the next 10 years of our young school life she had a huge crush on me.

Lessons

The overall lesson of these experiences comes down to determination. If you have goals and are determined to achieve them no one can stop you. Words are just words. People will be envious and complain, but ultimately you are in control of the outcome. If you can bring yourself to see through the critics and stand up for what you believe then you have already won the first first battle.

Critics That Matter

There is another type of critic out there that I didn’t talk about. The kind that actually want to see you succeed. The kind that push you and drive you to do bigger and greater things. These critics offer something of value with their comments. They are constructive. Here is a wonderful article from Seth’s Blog about the Critics That Matter.
And don’t forget to check out this article from the Art of Nonconformity mentioned earlier.