Perfectly Average By Amy Schmidt and Hartley Newell-Acero “You’re perfectly average.” If you were told that, would it be an insult? How about ‘mediocre’? Listed as a synonym of average, mediocre is defined as “of base-level quality; not very good.” Ouch. Call me late for dinner, but don’t call me average. The antonym of average is ‘exceptional; outstanding’. Now there’s something most wouldn’t mind being called. But speaking in terms of actual statistics, most of us, on a given day, in a given life, are more likely to perform averagely than exceptionally. Why? Because our lives are comprised of both “not very good” moments and “exceptional moments.” All those moments combined and averaged result in, well, an average life. Being perfectly average isn’t an insult. Rather, it denotes someone who has embraced both their strengths and their weaknesses, weaving them together into a life of experience and growth. Embracing “average” can allow us the freedom and the courage to try new things and take healthy risks because we already know that sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail and it’s okay.
Embracing average is a powerful antidote to perfectionism, an internal drive that can quickly become destructive and, sadly, plagues many in our current culture. As a species, our progress from the savannah to the stars was only made possible by individuals and groups striving to be and do “more.” This yearning for growth is to be celebrated and supported, but there is a tipping point. The degree of a person’s ambition (their drive) is rarely destructive but the way they react if they fall short of achieving their ambitions can be. If personal perfection is the only acceptable outcome, that means you have to limit yourself to only doing things that are guaranteed to succeed. And since nobody is actually perfect, you will never be satisfied with “good enough” in any aspect of your life. It is possible to split progress apart from perfection though, by shifting our focus to include not just “Results” but also “Process.” On one hand, it’s important to keep an end result in mind, because it offers us a landmark to move toward. We can only plan effectively if we know what we’re planning for. We can only navigate accurately if we know where we want to go. On the other hand, paying attention to the process by which we choose to get there offers us opportunities to learn more about
ourselves and our world. It’s even possible that what we learn will end up helping us to refine, or even change, our end goals. Being curious about our objectives and the choices that will move us closer to or farther away from them is a very different experience from the unrelenting pursuit of an unreachable goal. Perfection demands everything all the time. Accepting averageness, the honest reality that claims the inevitability of both success and failure,
allows us to be kinder to ourselves and others. It’s possible to strive for improvement while we learn from mistakes. It allows us the opportunity to put forth great effort, in the face of knowing that we might fail, because we are confident that what we will learn from our failure will be worthwhile. Note: Written by staff members of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, in collaboration with Cook County Public Health and Human Services.
Free Oral Health Screening The Oral Health Task Force will provide free oral health screenings: • Saturday, February 20th from 1 to 4 p.m. • Cook County YMCA • For all Cook County and Grand Portage children and young adults up to 26 years of age • Also available for expectant mothers No appointments necessary - just come to the gym! For everyone’s protection, masks must be worn inside the building, and we will follow CDC guidelines for the prevention and control of COVID-19 infection.
For more Information, contact Bonnie Dalin: 218-370-2559 bjdalin5@gmail.com
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FEBRUARY 2021
NORTHERN WILDS
Sponsored by the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic’s Oral Health Task Force with funding provided by: • Arrowhead Electric Cooperative • Cook County Community Fund • Cook County Public Health & Human Services Community Funding • Cook County Whole Foods Coop • Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation
• Grand Marais WISE • Lloyd K Johnson Foundation • Medica Foundation • Minnesota Dental Foundation • Minnesota Department of Health • Northland Foundation
