Comments on: Average versus Exceptional http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/ The Personal Development Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:51:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=341 By: zjdwljdzbk http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-105747 zjdwljdzbk Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:44:33 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-105747 1FgMJz <a href="http://stnsfnziwiob.com/" rel="nofollow">stnsfnziwiob</a> 1FgMJz stnsfnziwiob

]]> By: What it All Comes Down to — Say No! to the Office http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-94243 What it All Comes Down to — Say No! to the Office Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:15:54 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-94243 [...] some great advice on being great, check out these two great articles – Average vs. Exceptional by Dragos Roua and Five Steps to Make Yourself Great by Penelope Trunk. [...] [...] some great advice on being great, check out these two great articles – Average vs. Exceptional by Dragos Roua and Five Steps to Make Yourself Great by Penelope Trunk. [...]

]]> By: Top 25 Blog Posts of 2010 | Minimalist 4 Life http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-91161 Top 25 Blog Posts of 2010 | Minimalist 4 Life Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:53:57 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-91161 [...] Average versus Exceptional [...] [...] Average versus Exceptional [...]

]]> By: Personal Development Roadblocks – Taking Things for Granted http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-82547 Personal Development Roadblocks – Taking Things for Granted Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:59:08 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-82547 [...] promise to myself to be, as my friend Dragos writes, exceptional.  And I [...] [...] promise to myself to be, as my friend Dragos writes, exceptional.  And I [...]

]]> By: 100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-80117 100 Ways To Screw Up Your Life Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:26:27 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-80117 [...] Not too much, not too little. Not too talkative, not too silent. Be in the middle. Talk in the middle. Live in the middle. An averagish life is a wasted life. You don’t really live, you’re barely acknowledging a statistical model of the reality. There’s not such thing like the average in real life. You’re either up to something, either not. Chose to be exceptional. [...] [...] Not too much, not too little. Not too talkative, not too silent. Be in the middle. Talk in the middle. Live in the middle. An averagish life is a wasted life. You don’t really live, you’re barely acknowledging a statistical model of the reality. There’s not such thing like the average in real life. You’re either up to something, either not. Chose to be exceptional. [...]

]]> By: Curing The Content Blues – 15 Fabulous Niche Bloggers http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-68716 Curing The Content Blues – 15 Fabulous Niche Bloggers Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:32:06 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-68716 [...] Average Versus Exceptional [...] [...] Average Versus Exceptional [...]

]]> By: Read This Feed: Dragos Roua — Fit and Sexed http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-66169 Read This Feed: Dragos Roua — Fit and Sexed Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:16:37 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-66169 [...] Average vs Exceptional [...] [...] Average vs Exceptional [...]

]]> By: Kaitlin http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-62773 Kaitlin Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:59:44 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-62773 It all boils down to the choice, but most people don't even realise that they are making the choice, that's what got me for a long time. I was just cruising along because no expects you to do anything different. Then when you try to be something more than average suddenly everyone is there needling you, it's a big risk and a lot of fun. Thanks for the article. .-= Kaitlin´s last blog ..<a href="http://www.escapingaustralia.com/blog/2009/08/how-not-to-travel-the-world/" rel="nofollow">How Not To Travel The World</a> =-. It all boils down to the choice, but most people don’t even realise that they are making the choice, that’s what got me for a long time. I was just cruising along because no expects you to do anything different. Then when you try to be something more than average suddenly everyone is there needling you, it’s a big risk and a lot of fun.
Thanks for the article.
.-= Kaitlin´s last blog ..How Not To Travel The World =-.

]]> By: dragos http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-60746 dragos Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:30:13 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-60746 That's one long comment, Andrei, and that's way over the average. Kidding, of course :-) I'm not having any backslashes against "average", all I'm telling is the "exceptional" is giving me more thrill... Everything is a choice. You can chose to be exceptional at some thing and average at other stuff... That’s one long comment, Andrei, and that’s way over the average. Kidding, of course :-)

I’m not having any backslashes against “average”, all I’m telling is the “exceptional” is giving me more thrill…

Everything is a choice. You can chose to be exceptional at some thing and average at other stuff…

]]> By: Andrei Maxim http://www.dragosroua.com/average-versus-exceptional/#comment-60743 Andrei Maxim Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:39:06 +0000 http://www.dragosroua.com/?p=1875#comment-60743 Apparently there's a whole backlash against being "average" that I simply can't understand. Here's why: Most people consider "average" as being unhappy, dull and so on. That's wrong because "average" means just the average between the highest peak and the bottom. For example, let's assume I'm an average tennis player. This means I'm somewhere between Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal and somebody who just started learning tennis. Or if the IQ of a genius is around 190 and the stupidest person on Earth has an IQ of 60, an average person will have around 130 points of IQ which isn't that bad. If, overall, I'm an average person, chances are I'm pretty good (or above average) in some areas and not so good (or below average) in others. Going back to the sports analogy, I'll probably suck at table tennis, but people I work with respect my skills. Also, the levels of happiness or excitement aren't related to how exceptional you are. I'm guessing that most people don't know how to enjoy life and have fewer and fewer hobbies. It's really depressing to have the same routine 5 days per week: go to work, then go home and open a can of beer and sit in front of the TV. But it's really simple to do that and fewer people try to find things to do to make their life more interesting. For example, right now my goal is to be able to go to the seaside by bicycle. I know, it might sound stupid because I can go to the seaside by car but that's what I want to do now. Also, I need to spend a lot of money on equipment (a road bicycle, cycling pants, cycling t-shirt, cycling sneakers) but this also makes work more fun because it allows me to fulfill a rather short-term goal. I also find new friends, in cycling clubs. I get to see parts of the city while I train that I normally wouldn't notice. My body looks leaner. This makes me happy and it's not exceptional at all because I don't indent to be a professional cyclist. I also noticed a book about wood carving. I'd like to do that one day but probably when I'll be older and I'd like to spend more time indoors or in my backyard. It would be fun to learn how to draw. Or speak Japanese. And so on. There are tons of things I'd like to do. None of those are exceptional, but for me they are fun and interesting. That's what people should try to do because that's what makes them interesting. Too bad there are so many sites and blogs out there about how to be a better person, all with their own keywords and practices. But the only way to be happy is to do things that make you happy. Go to the movies, fix a car, whatever floats your boat. But don't think for a second that strangers know better than you what makes you happy. Apparently there’s a whole backlash against being “average” that I simply can’t understand. Here’s why:

Most people consider “average” as being unhappy, dull and so on. That’s wrong because “average” means just the average between the highest peak and the bottom. For example, let’s assume I’m an average tennis player. This means I’m somewhere between Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal and somebody who just started learning tennis. Or if the IQ of a genius is around 190 and the stupidest person on Earth has an IQ of 60, an average person will have around 130 points of IQ which isn’t that bad.

If, overall, I’m an average person, chances are I’m pretty good (or above average) in some areas and not so good (or below average) in others. Going back to the sports analogy, I’ll probably suck at table tennis, but people I work with respect my skills.

Also, the levels of happiness or excitement aren’t related to how exceptional you are. I’m guessing that most people don’t know how to enjoy life and have fewer and fewer hobbies. It’s really depressing to have the same routine 5 days per week: go to work, then go home and open a can of beer and sit in front of the TV. But it’s really simple to do that and fewer people try to find things to do to make their life more interesting.

For example, right now my goal is to be able to go to the seaside by bicycle. I know, it might sound stupid because I can go to the seaside by car but that’s what I want to do now. Also, I need to spend a lot of money on equipment (a road bicycle, cycling pants, cycling t-shirt, cycling sneakers) but this also makes work more fun because it allows me to fulfill a rather short-term goal. I also find new friends, in cycling clubs. I get to see parts of the city while I train that I normally wouldn’t notice. My body looks leaner.

This makes me happy and it’s not exceptional at all because I don’t indent to be a professional cyclist.

I also noticed a book about wood carving. I’d like to do that one day but probably when I’ll be older and I’d like to spend more time indoors or in my backyard. It would be fun to learn how to draw. Or speak Japanese. And so on.

There are tons of things I’d like to do. None of those are exceptional, but for me they are fun and interesting. That’s what people should try to do because that’s what makes them interesting.

Too bad there are so many sites and blogs out there about how to be a better person, all with their own keywords and practices. But the only way to be happy is to do things that make you happy. Go to the movies, fix a car, whatever floats your boat. But don’t think for a second that strangers know better than you what makes you happy.

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