You read me right. Have an average day! Weird? I know, but here’s the thing. Greatness isn’t measured against the ordinary or by the absence of mistakes or the days you failed. Historically speaking, the ones who have achieved the most are also the ones who missed the most. I read recently that Michael Jordon holds both the NBA scoring record AND the record for the most number of shots taken and missed. Funny how that works. Then it hit me, it’s about the average!
“Go for singles rather than home runs. They’re a lot easier to hit. Besides, every four singles equals a home run…and the bases are still loaded!” Eric Harvey
What a profound thought. Imagine stressing a little less, loading up the bases and reaching a point when a simple base hit scores every time! Don’t get me wrong, home runs are awesome and the adrenaline rush is great, but life isn’t a game that just lasts a few hours and a different strategy might be in order. Perhaps when the goal isn’t a great day, but an average day, you take the pressure off and make room for really great things to work their way in. After all, don’t you find that it’s the relatively average things that make every day worth living? Things like that smile from your four year old that lights up your whole day, or a client that makes progress, sunshine, walking up to the check-out and having no line, hitting all the lights green on your way to an appointment that you would have been late for had you hit any one of them red… These aren’t the things of greatness, they’re just the things of life. Isn’t that the kind of day we want in the end? Then, when the stars align and we hit that grand slam, it’s all the better because we haven’t been living for it. We’ve simply been living good, average days made all the better by moments of greatness. Make room for the greatness, live for a high average, celebrate the day.
