MEDIOCRITY

Being average has almost become an insult in our society.

I often ask myself: why?

We cannot all be the best,
the most successful,
the most beautiful,
or the smartest.

And if even the “average” people suffer because they do not feel good enough -
how many people can truly feel satisfied at all?
Only the very few at the top?

And what does being “at the top” even mean?
Doesn’t it also mean that we must rise above others
in order to feel important ourselves?

That we need others to feel small
so that we can feel worthy?
When one person wins, someone else usually loses.
When someone stands out,
they automatically rise above others.

Why do we place so much pressure on one another in this way?

Wouldn’t our lives become far lighter and more peaceful
if we had a little more courage to be average again?

Maybe mediocrity is not failure.
Maybe it is simply the ability
to rest within yourself
without constantly needing to be extraordinary.

My Family’s Trophies

My mother always organized wonderful birthday parties for us as children.
One of the highlights was that all the kids were allowed to drink out of my parents’ large tennis trophies.

I still remember all the “wow”s and amazed reactions.
How cool everyone thought it was.
And how impressive my parents seemed
because they had won so many trophies.

And what did this create inside me?
Pressure.
The desire to live up to them.
I played tennis too.
But only moderately well.

The one who brought home the big trophies
was my younger brother.
He was the star.

Maybe that is why I later felt
that I needed to make up for something.
I tried another sport.
I invested an enormous amount of time and energy into performing well too.
Into bringing home trophies myself.
Into standing on the winner’s podium.

Eventually, I succeeded.
After years of devoted training.
The feeling of success was beautiful.
But never lasting.

For a long time, I don’t think I realized
how much of my life I spent in an inner performance mode.
What began as a desire to be good enough
slowly turned into constant pressure to be more.

And the trophies?

Many of them have ended up in the trash by now.
Some are still collecting dust somewhere in a drawer.

Today I know: They are not “me.”
I am far more than those trophies.
I no longer need them.

The Modern Addiction to “More”

One person builds the tallest skyscraper.
Another writes the most bestselling books.
Someone else belongs to the trendiest social circle,
has the highest IQ,
the best sense of humor,
the most talented child,
the most money,
the fewest wrinkles…

But when we take a step back,
we often realize how little all of it truly means.

Maybe our constant drive for optimization is already destroying exactly what we are actually longing for:
Inner peace.
Connection.
Humanity.

Instead of taking time to truly look inward
or reflect on our values and personal meaning,
we spend so much of our lives chasing things and achievements
that we will eventually have to let go of anyway.

Even social media actually had the potential to connect us.
To exchange ideas.
To inspire one another.

But instead, we have turned it into a culture of comparison.
More likes.
More attention.
More filters.
More perfection.

Even our most beautiful hobbies quickly become optimization projects.

We begin with joy, curiosity, and enthusiasm.
But all too easily, that turns into obsession:
a faster time,
a better car,
a more spectacular vacation,
a lower golf handicap,
the healthiest diet,
the most sculpted body…

The line between healthy growth
and compulsive self-optimization is very thin.

The Illusion of Control

Optimization unconsciously promises our minds safety.
If we become better, more successful, more attractive, or more disciplined,
we feel safer for a moment.
More in control.
Less vulnerable.

If I function perfectly, maybe I will not be criticized.
If I am successful, I will feel safer.
If I am attractive enough, maybe I will not be abandoned.
If I control everything, nothing can go wrong.

And yet life remains uncontrollable.
People may reject us.
Crises may come.
Bodies age.
Relationships change.

And so this endless cycle often begins:
Become even better.
Achieve even more.
Protect yourself even more.

Maybe our obsession with optimization is not really ambition at all.

Maybe it is simply an attempt
to avoid feeling uncertainty and vulnerability.
Maybe we are only trying to feel safe.

What if we had the courage more often
to be weak sometimes.
To stand on the losing side.
Not to be the center of attention.
Simply average.
And still content.

Growth Without Superiority

Competition often arises from an inner sense of lack.

Suddenly, life becomes one endless comparison:
Who is more successful?
More attractive?
More original?
Funnier?
More intelligent?
But growth should not have to mean superiority.

Real development could also mean
inspiring one another,
learning from each other,
and seeing differences not as threats,
but as complements.

Yet our ego often experiences differences differently.

When someone is especially talented,
we quickly feel smaller ourselves.
When someone becomes visible,
we begin comparing.
When someone succeeds,
envy or inner resistance often arises.

Why?

Because many of us have deeply learned:
“I am only valuable if I can keep up.”
And so human connection unconsciously turns into competition.

But a mature person does not need to make others small
in order to feel big.
The more someone has truly arrived within themselves,
the less they need constant comparison.

Then space opens for genuine inspiration.
Then someone else can succeed
without us feeling diminished by it.

Maybe this is one of the great challenges of our time:
To learn again
not to see each other as competition -
but as complements.

Because people carry very different qualities within them.
One person brings calm.
Another creativity.
Someone clarity.
Another warmth or courage.

And perhaps many things would become easier
if we stopped immediately ranking differences hierarchically.
Not: “Who is better?”
But: “What can I learn from this person?”

The Dignity of an Ordinary Life

A good life grows out of balance,
not out of constant overexertion.

How much more human would our world be
if we were less attached to success and recognition.
Less burnout.
Less identity built entirely on performance.
Less self-worth dependent on functioning perfectly.

And that is exactly why it feels more important to me
today than ever to look inward again.
To remain present.

To find joy in small things.
Not only in the big ones.
In the ordinary moments of daily life.
In routines.
In stillness.
In little joys that do not need to prove anything.

I believe this is how our lives can become simpler again.
Lighter.
More peaceful.
There is also a very alive kind of ordinariness.
A human one.
A balanced one.
One that lives in harmony with itself.

You can be ambitious
without constantly needing to prove yourself.

And perhaps there is something deeply liberating in that:
not needing to be extraordinary
in order to live a fulfilled life.

Now.
Today.

Same life.
New perspective.

LUMA – it begins in you.

Mini Exercise
Today, consciously notice a moment
when you compare yourself
or feel the need to be “more.”
Maybe more successful,
more interesting,
more productive,
more beautiful,
more special…
And then pause for a moment.
Breathe.
Ask yourself:
Who would I be in this moment
if I did not need to prove anything?
For just one moment,
try not wanting to be better.
Just here.

Reflection Question
Where in my life does pressure arise
because I believe I need to be extraordinary?