Roy Tang

Above average – a level of competency at a given subject such that:

1. You are good enough that average people look at your work and tell you “You’ve got a lot of talent!”
2. You are good enough that you know there’s a huge gap between you and those who are truly excellent.

I was wondering the other day whether being above average was a curse. It’s like being good enough to be in movies, but never good enough to be the star. Everyone around you is happy that they know someone who appears in movies, but deep inside you wish you were the star.

I don’t think anyone ever dreams of being above average. Unfortunately most of the time there’s a huge gap between “above average” and “excellent” that requires so much more effort for incremental gain. When looking at that plateau, it may seem insurmountable so many people just settle for being above average.

I find myself thinking about this now because I’m often faced with one of those plateaus in one aspect of life or another. And when you’re there looking at that plateau you need to ask yourself: Is it worth it to devote your time and energy to becoming the best you can be in this particular area?

My curse then, is that there are many areas where I consider myself “above average”, such that it’s difficult for me to decide on the path I want to take in life. I don’t want to have to choose just one path, I don’t want to choose just one area to be excellent in. I’m greedy; I want it all damn it! And this might be why I’m cursed to remain merely above average.

For now.