If you're born just average then will you ever be great?

I was watching some videos on youtube. Seems like everyone who's gotten somewhere in life or doing something amazing they call came from very unique backgrounds. or many are just very unique in some way. Like when you think about many of them, they had unique parents that taught them specialized skills. They had a unique physical body that allowed them to become a professional athelete. They were gifted with high intelligence so they could figure out so many strange a complex things. They were raised in extremely challenging circumstances which caused them to work and be ultra ambitious as adults. And the list of these kinds of people just is endless.

But what about the average guy (or gal). Like I'm a pretty average dude. Like there's next to nothing special about me at all. Ya I have a small amount of knowledge in certain areas. I'm not really great at doing anything at all. The main things I know a bit about are to do with being an entrepreneur. But even in that it's been pretty challenging. Like at best you scrap out a living. At worst your back living off the charity of friends and family. So it's by far not a glamorous career movie. The odd stories you hear about the: Gate's, Zuckerburgs, Buffets and Trumps are rare. The reality is most entrepreneurs barely makes ends meet.

But like with me in some ways I have every advantage. I have no serious disabilities at all, my health is near perfect. I'm an average looking guy. I normal decent guy, a nice guy basically. My IQ is very average. I learn a lot through audio but ask me to read a book, forget it. I read far more online though. My upringing was not perfect by any means. It was weird, but to a large degree it was good, happy and healthy, with a few minor trauma blended in. I have both parents, I have brothers and sisters. Like in the grand scheme of society I'm as average I guy as you might find.

So when I'm looking at all these major success stories I just can't help but think, "I wonder if anything great would ever happen to me". Like I've had a few minor successes. But nothing outstanding at all. I just wonder what's the point of the average people in life. How will they ever achieve anything. They grew up average, everything around them is average, all their abilities are average, all there friends and family are average, all of there knowledge, skills, ambition, wealth, connections and advantages are average. So in essence their best hope is to win the lotto or something. Otherwise they're life will amount to basically nothing.

Like even in business I hit on one thing, the idea was perfect, the timing was perfect, everything was near perfect and even that only basically allowed me to make a living. And it offered a few perks in life for a little while, during the time it lasted. But then after things eventually felt apart out of some rather poor (or average) business decisions I'm basically back to square 1. Starting over from scratch.

So I just wonder how in the world the average person will ever acheive anything significant in life. At best they get to scrape out a living and hopefully don't end up on the street. Like today isn't a typical day, I thought I'd try something different, so I plan to drive to the donut shop, have a bowl of soup, go for a walk in the park (as in the big city there's zero nature around), then drive to the gym work out, then go in the hot tub and ponder life more, and my lack of direction, and my endless problems. And there not major problems fortunately but still significant. So it's just a boring dull average life. Like it often makes me just wonder what the heck is the point of any of this. I'm not living, I'm just existing.

Like my latest idea for a business I was considering was buying a cheap van for a few hundred bucks, a cheap carpet cleaning unit and maybe if I can find one, a cheap furnace cleaning unit. Put those in the van and then advertise that I do carpet and furnace cleaning. My thought is that maybe I could scrap out a living that way. The only challenge to that is it's very hard work. Im not even sure if I can do that anymore. I can't get a job for several reasons. And sometimes I get a flash of geneious and think of what might be a great business idea but then I try it and they never work out. So I'm sick of trying these pie in the sky ideas that end up making zero money.

I just really find odd because I wonder if there's any hope for the average dude to live there dreams. I just don't see it happening very often or very easily. I know things could be far worse. And people always say "don't complain they could be worse" or "count what blessings you have". But those are just mechanisms to cope with the day to day. Those aren't your dreams of living the dream life so to speak. And to live the dream life, well chances are you'd have to make millions of dollars to do that for the most part.

Ya so what does the average person do? Is there any hope for them to live there dreams?

reply to post by spartacus699


"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."

- Henry Ford

You are your own limiting factor.

While not everyone is going to be a billionaire. You can be pretty successful in life.
Depends on whether you think you can or not.

reply to post by spartacus699


Take a close look at a human being. They are all about the same size. They are all similarly shaped. They have similar chemical composition. They have similar numbers of muscles, teeth, eyes, limbs, arteries, veins, lungs, hearts, bowels & etc.

The difference in computational power between an intellectually handicapped and a genius human is a very small range.

In fact, when someone has a disability, you often find extra abilities in other areas.

I see those who we often look up to as incredible achievers, simply as standard human beings who have found their niche.

Perhaps, instead of comparing ourselves against others (who logically have a different set of capabilities) we should instead be aiming to be the best that we can be, in whatever we do best.

The benchmark level we hold up to define everyone's success is also perhaps the wrong measure. Sometimes people are not only simply acquisitive like 'success oriented' people, but are giving, in such a manner that they don't achieve success as we measure it, instead they achieve significance.

IMHO success comes and goes but significance is a far higher achievement.

It is your own perception as to what great is. I want to be remembered as a great father and grandfather. I suppose I will be satisfied with just being an all right Dad though.

You do not need to be great to others. The good that you have accomplished in life is all you need. I hope someone remembers me in twenty five years after I am gone. That is all I am striving for. I will probably be a statistic in fifty years, with nobody even remembering me. That is all right, I would rather have been forgotten than have someone using something I did as leverage over someone else. No one is as good as Einstein in a lot of people's mind. The president is just a person in my mind, he is not anyone special. His name will enter history books attached to lies someday, mine won't.

What is wrong with your old buddies saying you were a great guy when you are gone. That is all the reward we need in this world. This quest for greatness is made to control us and make us do what those in control want.

Just concentrate on pleasing the ones who are most important to you.

Yeah you can be a retarded mutant monkey and stil end up a billionaire the trick?

To be related or freinds with someone else who is rich.

Really depends on what you want to achieve in life. Some people are just trying there best in a very insane place with very bad cards on their hand . I admire them.



Does not an autistic handicapped person bring out things in the surrounding people, that might not have been there before.

I remember a quote someone told me from some golfer "the harder I practiced the luckier I got"

I think its true, Not only do your abilities get better when you practice something but so does the belief in yourself.

Great ideas are a dime a dozen, and ideas or products that can make millions are even cheaper.
The difference between surviving and thriving as an entrepreneur is marketing, you can have the best idea in the world and if it doesnt reach the attention of its intended audience its not gonna go anywhere.

Dont give up dude, look at what good ideas you had in the past that didnt work and really, honestly look at why they didnt. Did you repeat the same mistakes everytime?

Arent we all equal? What the # is the average man anyway? Isnt a 31yo chinese man with a phone, and no car? The only difference between each of us is the life we live and our consciousness. Like last time I checked, athletes are pretty useless when it comes to being a productive part of society, so if in you're own wee imaginary standard of greatness wouldn't they be less great than a mailman or a electrician?

We're human beings, and we're equal, some never achieve anything but they were born equal to anyone else. Just like a man who was born into great wealth and artificial achievements were born equal, they just didnt make the most of life.

It all depends on what drives your soul and where you want to go.
Sometimes you have the fuel to go and sometimes you don't
Sometimes you have the drive and sometimes you don't.

It's a rollercoaster ride,just enjoy it.

When I was younger,I had a drive and the fuel to get there.
I achieved my aspirations.
Then the fuel ran out and all I wanted to do is glide along.

Then something came along that recharged me,finding a new hope in this world.
The fuel that keeps you going changes over time.
Accepting the change ,the drive and the happiness returned.


Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I was born average, but I made something out of it.

Peace,
K

How does that ditty from Fort Minor go?

This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

I think there's some truth to that. Obviously natural skill is an important component to success, but I'd also argue that perseverance and patience play a huge role. Macklemore also has some words on being successful:

I make my living off of words
And do what I love for work
And got around 980 on my SATs
Take that system, what did you expect?
Generation of kids choosing love over a desk
Put those hours in and look at what you get
Nothing that you can hold, but everything that it is

There was a great video I saw about a football player that was talking about success. He related a story about a coach that took him out into the ocean further and further. The coach then pushed his head down under and the man started to drown. The coach then told him, "When you want success as badly as you do air -- you'll find it" (or something to that effect).

I think that might be what a huge part of real "Secret" is. It's never giving up, and wanting something as badly as you want air when you're drowning. I really do think people are capable of much more than they think they are -- look at the stories of people surviving incredible odds (like the guy who had to cut his own limb off).

IkNOwSTuff
I remember a quote someone told me from some golfer "the harder I practiced the luckier I got"

I think its true, Not only do your abilities get better when you practice something but so does the belief in yourself.

I just found these two lines in the Macklemore song "Ten Thousand Hours" which sort of echos the quote you posted:

The greats weren't great because at birth they could paint
The greats were great cause they paint a lot

I really think there's some truth behind that. When you let your passion for something overtake your soul, and learn to channel that creative potential with laser precision -- anything is possible. I've seen it. I've also seen it work in the opposite direction.

I have a long time friend that is an amazing guitarist and vocalist. He recorded some amazing songs, and did some really good amateur music videos. Somewhere a long the line between school and work his focus shifted away from music.

He still loves what he does, as a huge movie fanatic he gets to work at a first-class upscale movie theater. All the free movies he can watch! He also runs across celebrities every now and then. Just the other day my friend ran into Trent Reznor and got a picture with him. It was one of the happiest days of his life -- and I chided him about getting back into music.

ScottProphhit
Arent we all equal? What the # is the average man anyway? Isnt a 31yo chinese man with a phone, and no car? The only difference between each of us is the life we live and our consciousness. Like last time I checked, athletes are pretty useless when it comes to being a productive part of society, so if in you're own wee imaginary standard of greatness wouldn't they be less great than a mailman or a electrician?

We're human beings, and we're equal, some never achieve anything but they were born equal to anyone else. Just like a man who was born into great wealth and artificial achievements were born equal, they just didnt make the most of life.

Since I do not 100% agree about us being equal I will give my thoughts on this. All are in some way unique and we are all changing from one thing to another thru our life. We should have an equal value just for being souls but that does not mean we all deserve the same due to what efforts we make (not what we are born into). But to tell the truth I am a person who is very anti greed so some things I have seen on earth is not fair value for effort but parasitism instead.

I am one of those people who have frankly stopped caring to put to much energy into my life and achievements on this planet since I am not getting anything solid back here. I do some small random acts of kindness sometimes but other than that I am just wasting life away on little things.

From my experience...

Success and happiness has a huge "luck" component. But "luck" can be manufactured by paying attention and taking positive action when opportunities avail themselves to you.

How many times have you heard "if I had of only asked, but I was afraid"

I was lucky enough to work for a man that forced me to "cold call" for him while he sat in the bar. Getting over the initial fear of speaking to strangers and asking them for their business was the most valuable exercise in being successful I ever learned. You will get many more rejections than acceptances but you can make a fortune on the folks that say yes. It's a numbers game.

The confidence I got from my mentor allowed me to enter the entrepreneurial world and be the "boss" in my own enterprises. I have made a lot of money and lost it because of drugs, alcohol and thinking I was a big shot.

More valuable lessons I learned as a young man is that it's just as easy to love a rich woman as a poor one, luck favors the bold and know when to holdem, know when to foldem, know when to walk away and know when to RUN!

You can't learn those lessons except thru experience because they don't teach it in school.

olaru12
From my experience...

Success and happiness has a huge "luck" component. But "luck" can be manufactured by paying attention and taking positive action when opportunities avail themselves to you.

How many times have you heard "if I had of only asked, but I was afraid"

I was lucky enough to work for a man that forced me to "cold call" for him while he sat in the bar. Getting over the initial fear of speaking to strangers and asking them for their business was the most valuable exercise in being successful I ever learned. You will get many more rejections than acceptances but you can make a fortune on the folks that say yes. It's a numbers game.

The confidence I got from my mentor allowed me to enter the entrepreneurial world and be the "boss" in my own enterprises. I have made a lot of money and lost it because of drugs, alcohol and thinking I was a big shot.

More valuable lessons I learned as a young man is that it's just as easy to love a rich woman as a poor one, luck favors the bold and know when to holdem, know when to foldem, know when to walk away and know when to RUN!

You can't learn those lessons except thru experience because they don't teach it in school.

edit on 22-10-2013 by olaru12 because: (no reason given)

Ya I tend to a agree. There is a luck factor. But ya and it can be manufactured. Like robert kiosoki says "just look at a deal a day" and you'll likely find something that starts to work for you. (just in terms of business). But the same applies to most areas of life I guess. You have to get out there and try things and let people know what you're seeking and you might get lucky. Like there was this strange thing that happened to me in 1999. I was in college at the time. I was your typical broke student. But I wanted to start a business and had been trying for a long time. I got this strange dream. It was pointing me in the right direction. It was extremely to the point. And so I followed the advice in the dream. Got a business going that lasted 11 years. And helped solidify at least "a good living". So that was a lot of luck. But there was a of unluckiness along the way too because I was still so inexperienced that the business actually eventually fell apart sad to say. That was just a few years ago. now I'm sitting hear on my butt thinking oh great now what do I do?? arrrrhhhh!! I'm sure I'll figure something out. But it's SO MUCH WORK to get a business going. I'll see what happens I guess. But ya I need to get lucky again ha ha!