We are all unique and special individuals, with a specific task, or tasks, we are born to accomplish, ideally for the benefit of others and the transcendence of ourselves.  We can begin that task by asking what life is asking of us, rather than what we should get from life.  That is what Viktor Frankl and the field of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis tells us.

However, we have been born into a long-standing system that ranks us according to an “average”, and then compares us to others who have been ranked according to the same system, causing us to have to strive or fight to be “Greater Than Average”, or to be better than average, just like everyone else.  It sets us up to either be a cog in a machine, or to compete with those around us for limited resources – it sets up a “win – lose” situation.  That is what L. Todd Rose found in his research for The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness.

In the book, Rose shares compelling stories about the tragedy of fighter jet cockpits before we learned to customize them, the inherent bias of standardized testing that we all may have felt in some way, and, interestingly, the error-laden but culturally accepted history of how we got to think in terms of “Averagarianism.  Most importantly, he shares what you as an individual, and as a member of your family and community, can do about it.

What I found most compelling was Rose’s personal story.  If anyone should understand the consequences of Averagariansim, it’s him.  He is co-founder and president of The Center for Individual Opportunity, and a faculty at the Harvard School of Education, so that’s pretty cool.  But he got there after being a high school drop-out, working difficult jobs and raising a family at a young age, and then struggling to complete his undergraduate degree at Weber State University in Utah – hardly the early resume of an “average” Harvard professor.

So, if you find yourself frustrated with “the system” – and it seems many of us are, if you look at current events; or if you are looking for ways to succeed in life while maintaining your individuality and uniqueness, this is a great book to start with.  Even if you are remotely interested in these ideas, I recommend checking out his TEDtalk, The Myth of Average.  (If nothing else, the history of jet fighter cockpits is pretty interesting!)

(I’m not really sure how my coffee cup fits into this story…  but I feel like somehow it does.  Maybe it’s the commentary that human behavior can be reduced to an equation.  Or possibly it’s the fact that a coffee mug that talks about “greatness” has a big ol’ chip and scratches – maybe “great” or at least “greater than average” is still flawed.  Or, maybe, I just need another cup of coffee…)

Take care!

Dan