Accepting Mediocrity and the Fear of Being Forgotten

Hi! Yes, hello there! I am mediocre!

I get good grades, I’ve won some awards, I am reasonably intelligent in some ways and tragically idiotic in others (wow look at me bragging) and I am mediocre.

I’m never going to cure cancer or become a famous singer or break a world record. In 100 years I doubt anyone will know that I existed. And that’s OK.

I’ve always struggled with this reality - that one day I will be forgotten. But I’m starting to realise that being remembered isn’t actually that important. Especially if it means sacrificing the present.

We may know that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, and of course that completely changed the world for the better, but we don’t really know him. Maybe we will always associate penicillin with the name Alexander Fleming and maybe we know certain facts about him, but we don’t actually know him. Anyone could have made this discovery and it really wouldn’t have made that much of a difference, as long as it was discovered by someone.

And surely that’s what really matters? True human connection, now. Meeting and connecting with people now, not making sure that your name appears in a textbook when you’re dead but touching hearts and inspiring thoughts and making people smile, now.

I’m sure Alexander Fleming was a decent guy, but I personally care more about my parents and my friends and even my cats. None of which have, or ever will save the world, but in many ways they have saved mine. And isn't that worth something? 

The key is to connect with people, yourself and the world around you and live in the now, not ensuring that you leave behind a legacy.

Living for your legacy alone is no way to live.

Leaving behind a legacy when you die won't make you any less dead so focus on your happiness in this life. I know it isn't that simple.

We fear that our life will not have mattered if we are not remembered after we die, but that’s simply not true. Your life’s worth doesn’t depend on how successful you are, how many people know your name, how much money you make or how long after your death you will be remembered.

You determine your life’s worth by how you live it. (Huh, It turns out I’m not such a nihilist after all).

Sure, that could be by doing something which puts your name in a textbook or on the hall of fame, but it could also be by doing the things that you enjoy. Going to concerts, taking baths, eating cake, travelling, dancing, baking, skiing, sketching, all of these things make your life worth something if they make you happy, even for a moment.

Stop beating yourself up for not changing the world and start focusing on impacting your own world and in turn you will impact other people's worlds.

You don’t have to be one in a million to have a truly meaningful life. Every life means something because every life impacts another. It’s a chain reaction, and although you may not always be aware of your impact on the world, you do have an impact.

You don’t have to be a doctor to save someone’s life, a few kind words can mean more than you know. You don’t have to be a famous singer, actress or author to make someone’s life, you can inspire people every day by following what makes you happy, whether that’s singing, mathematics, or crocheting.

You don’t need to change the world to be important. Just because you won’t change the world doesn’t mean that you can’t change somebody’s world, even if that somebody is you. And isn’t that incredible in itself? 

Fleming discovered penicillin which saved so many lives but aren’t the nurses and doctors who continue to put this knowledge into practise also saving lives? What about the teachers who taught and inspired Fleming to pursue this line of work? Or perhaps a stranger made a simple comment when he wanted to give up which inspired him to try again? Do they not matter? Did they not change the world in some way as well?

Everything is connected. It’s not as simple as having one group of people who ‘changed the world’ and another group who do not matter. Everyone matters, even if everyone isn’t publicly credited.

Ask yourself why you care if people know who you are? Both now and in a hundred years from now. Why does this matter at all?

I think this fear contributes to our desire to make videos and take selfies and, em, write blog posts. But you matter even if your life isn’t captured and your life matters even if it is captured and no one really sees it.

I’m realising every day that you don’t have to be the best at everything, and in fact you can’t be.

If Fleming lived every day trying to impress Michael Jackson, he would have gotten nowhere. (Apparently, I’m ignoring the concept of time, but you get what I mean.)

If you are average at everything, you matter.

If you are bellow average at everything, you matter.

If you are above average at everything, you matter.

If you are the best at one thing but the worst at everything else, you matter.

Choose your own measurement of success and decide what makes you feel fulfilled, instead of chasing after what everyone else tells you should make you feel fulfilled.

You matter, regardless.

"I exist as I am, that is enough." 
-Walt Whitman 

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