Do We Need To Be Extraordinary?
Have you ever pondered on what seems like an ordinary existence and thought you were meant for more?
“You were born to do something great, to inspire, change, create, invent and revolutionise”
We all do.
Maybe many of us suffer from this condition of ‘self exceptionalism’ and when those desires of greatness are not fulfilled we feel down.
We can feel worthless and, god forbid, so unexceptionally ordinary.
We have been conditioned through modern education and the media to believe that our self worth is defined by how intelligent, popular, rich, beautiful, idolised or how greatly praised we are.
From a young age this social construction of success has been conveyed to us as a life to be desired and something that makes us better than others and pretty exceptional.
This may be why an ordinary life and it’s day to day activities seem so inferior. But what if our true unique extraordinariness is finding a way to appreciate the ordinary, and create a life which consists of positive loving experiences with ourselves and others?
By reducing the pressure we put on ourselves to become ‘exceptional’ in the eyes of others, we can begin to enjoy ordinary everyday experiences. This practice of reflection can help us to appreciate that there can be something beautiful and fulfilling in the simple things that we may have previously taken for granted.
Walking through nature, engaging in conversations or listening to the sound of rain can help to create an internal emotional balance within ourselves whilst enhancing our wellbeing and mood.
Instead of creating narratives that a successful career, a marriage, a faster car or bigger house will make us significant, maybe we can start digging deeper and realise that we are already significant – we are alive on a journey to love, learn, explore and discover.
Over time we may appreciate that something ordinary can be exceptional too.
If you liked this article please leave a comment. If you have an opinion on the topic feel free to share your thoughts. If would like to find out more about our Yoga & Meditation Sessions, feel free to get in touch by emailing me.
Ria
June 19, 2019 at 10:33 pmReally enjoyed reading this Priya! Very thought provoking… How would you suggest we go about reducing this pressure that we feel to be exceptional?
Priya
June 20, 2019 at 3:50 pmHi Ria, thanks so much for the kind words and great question! It’s def. a challenge to reduce that pressure. For many of us, this idea of being exceptional has been drilled into us, whether through the pressures of getting good grades, watching movies, and reading stories about exceptional lives, etc. Firstly start to break down and analyse those narratives and def. start to question them.
I find that when we start to tune into our actual everyday experiences and really connect to ourselves, our bodies, the present moment and work on experiencing joy and peace in the everyday (through working on personal development, meditation, looking after ourselves, social connections, doing things we enjoy ) something naturally shifts within us and we start seeing just how exceptional our day to day experiences can be and we stop needing external validation or huge accomplishments to feel good – especially if the desire for that is creating misery and stress in our day to day lives.
That was very brief but I’m happy to discuss and explain this in more detail via a chat soon? xx
Naina
June 20, 2019 at 7:14 amIt’s a great thought And so true.
I think it’s a part of modern life where everyone wants to be achievers
Good read
Priya
June 20, 2019 at 3:51 pmThanks Naina, yep def. agree 🙂 x