What if I told you that being unapologetically average might actually be the secret to feeling alive again?
Not “average” in the boring, beige, give-up-on-your-dreams way. I’m talking about the kind of average that lets you breathe. That says,
“You don’t have to hustle yourself into a shell of a human just to be worthy.”
We live in a world that worships overachievement. If you’re not leveling up, optimizing, crushing goals, and rising and grinding before sunrise, are you even trying?
But here’s the thing: that constant chase? It’s making us tired.
Like… soul-deep tired.
Burnout doesn’t always look like collapsing in bed and crying (though sometimes it does).
- Sometimes it looks like going through the motions with a glazed-over smile.
- Feeling numb.
- Dreading Monday by Saturday night.
- Wondering when life started feeling like one long to-do list you never actually signed up for.
This post is your permission slip to stop. To embrace a life that’s slower, softer, and yes, gloriously average. Because maybe “just okay” is more than okay.
Maybe it’s powerful.
When Giving Becomes Too Much
For me, burnout didn’t come from chasing promotions or climbing some corporate ladder.
It came from giving. Constantly. I was the go-to person. The one who showed up, made the meals, held space, remembered the details, sent the check-ins, made sure everyone else was okay.
And for a while, I told myself that’s just who I was: nurturing, dependable, strong.
But over time, that giving turned into a quiet kind of depletion.
I’d fall into bed exhausted, but still feel like I hadn’t done enough. And no one really knew, because I didn’t say it out loud. I just kept showing up, quietly falling apart while trying to keep everything (and everyone) else together.
Where the Pressure to Overachieve Comes From
We don’t wake up one day and suddenly decide we’re not enough.
We learn it.
Somewhere along the way, we got the message that being “just okay” isn’t okay.
Maybe it started in childhood, with praise only coming when we excelled.
Maybe it’s the culture we live in, where busyness is glorified and burnout is practically a status symbol.
Or maybe it’s social media, where everyone else’s highlight reels make us feel like we’re falling behind just by existing at a normal pace.
And if you’re someone who gives a lot emotionally, mentally, or physically, you’ve probably been taught (or silently expected) to keep giving, no matter how empty you feel.
Rest becomes a reward, not a right. Slowing down feels like failing. So we overachieve, over-give, overextend…until we’re over it.
The pressure to be more, do more, and prove more is heavy. And most of the time, we carry it without question, until our body, mind, or spirit waves the white flag and says, “No more.”
- But what if we didn’t wait until we were running on fumes to make a change?
- What if we could unlearn that pressure and start honoring our enough-ness right now?
The Burnout Cycle: What Happens When You Chase Constant Excellence
At first, it feels kind of noble, doesn’t it?
You’re giving your all, showing up for everyone, pushing past your limits like some kind of quiet superhero. But over time, something shifts. The things that used to light you up start to feel like chores.
You begin waking up tired, even after a full night’s sleep.
- Your fuse shortens.
- Your joy flattens.
- You’re doing everything, and yet… nothing feels like enough.
That’s burnout creeping in. And it doesn’t always kick down the door. Sometimes it sneaks in softly. You stop answering texts. You lose interest in the things you used to love.
You cry randomly (or don’t cry at all, which feels even scarier). You fantasize about disappearing for a week just to breathe without someone needing something from you.
The worst part? The world rarely tells you to slow down. It usually claps for your exhaustion. “You’re amazing!” “I don’t know how you do it all!” So you keep doing it. And somewhere in that cycle, you lose the very things that made you feel like you.
This isn’t weakness; it’s wiring.
Your nervous system was never meant to live in overdrive.
And if you’ve been ignoring the signs, you’re not alone. We’ve been conditioned to outrun ourselves, to treat burnout like a badge instead of a boundary. But your body remembers. And eventually, it will ask you, gently or loudly, to choose a different way.
And maybe that different way… starts with not needing to be extraordinary all the time.
Redefining “Average” as Aligned
Let’s strip the word average of all its shame for a second.
What if being “average” just means you’ve stopped performing? That you’ve stopped bending over backward to meet impossible standards, and started listening to what actually feels good and true for you?
Being aligned doesn’t always look impressive. It’s not flashy or filtered. It’s choosing what’s right for your nervous system, your schedule, your soul, even if it doesn’t earn applause.
- It’s making a simple dinner instead of a three-course meal.
- Saying no to a social invite because you need quiet.
- Taking a nap.
- Leaving the laundry for tomorrow.
- Going for a walk without tracking your steps.
We’ve been taught that excellence is always the goal, but sometimes excellence is just… contentment. A day where nothing dramatic happens. Where your body feels calm, your heart isn’t racing, and you don’t need to explain or prove yourself to anyone.
That’s not mediocrity. That’s wisdom.
When you stop chasing what the world calls “success” and start honoring what you call peace, everything starts to shift.
You begin making decisions from alignment instead of pressure. You start to trust your own rhythms. And slowly, you remember what it feels like to be a person, not a performance.
What It Means to Be Unapologetically Average
Being unapologetically average doesn’t mean giving up.
It means showing up as you are, without the extra layers of pressure and pretending. It’s a quiet rebellion against the hustle narrative. It’s you saying, “I don’t need to be the best to be valuable.”
It’s choosing the C+ effort when your tank is low instead of running yourself into the ground for an A+. It’s skipping the gym and stretching on your living room floor because your body said no more pushing today.
It’s letting your kid have cereal for dinner, or leaving the email unanswered until tomorrow, or staying in on a Saturday night just because you don’t feel like talking.
And the unapologetic part? That’s important. It’s not average with a side of guilt or over-explaining. It’s average with full permission. Because you’re not here to live for other people’s expectations.
You’re here to live in a way that honors your own limits, energy, and joy.
You start realizing that being “average” can be deeply intentional. It can be peaceful. It can be powerful. And maybe…just maybe…it can be the first step toward actually liking your life again.
The Power You Gain When You Stop Overachieving
Something magical happens when you stop sprinting toward invisible finish lines; you start coming back to yourself. And what you gain in that return is worth more than any achievement ever gave you.
You gain clarity. Suddenly, it becomes easier to tell what’s yours to carry and what isn’t. You start making choices based on desire, not just duty.
You gain energy. Not the frantic, overstimulated kind, but real energy. The kind that returns when you stop leaking it in a hundred different directions trying to keep up appearances.
You gain presence. Instead of living ten steps ahead, you’re in the moment, actually tasting your food, hearing the birds outside, feeling the texture of the day. You realize how much you were missing while you were trying to “do it all.”
And maybe the most important thing? You gain peace. Because when you’re not constantly trying to outrun yourself, you finally have the space to just be and that’s where your real power lives.
Turns out, choosing “average” might not be settling after all. It might be a revolution. A return. A remembering.
How to Practice “Being Average” in a World That Worships Hustle
It takes courage to step off the treadmill when everyone else is still running. But you can practice this softer way of living, bit by bit, breath by breath.
Here are a few gentle ways to begin:
- Create a “bare minimum” day plan. What would a calm, still-satisfying day look like if you gave yourself permission to only do what’s essential?
- Ask yourself daily: What do I want to feel more of today? Then make one small choice in alignment with that answer.
- Unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel behind. If it stirs up shame or panic, it’s not motivational, it’s manipulative.
- Practice imperfection. Let the dishes sit. Wear the comfy outfit. Hit “send” on something that’s not 110% polished.
Journal prompt: What part of me is tired of performing? What would it say if I actually listened?
You don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. Just choose one place where you can loosen your grip. Let it be awkward at first. Let it feel strange. You’re doing something most people are too scared to try: letting life be easier.
Closing: A Love Letter to the Soft, Simple, Satisfying Life
Being unapologetically average isn’t about mediocrity. It’s about liberation.
It’s waking up and realizing your worth isn’t measured in metrics, gold stars, or how exhausted you are. It’s choosing a life that values sustainability over spectacle. Depth over display. You over expectations.
There is so much beauty in the quiet, in the undone, in the ordinary things we miss when we’re constantly chasing “more.” And if you’ve been running yourself ragged trying to be everything to everyone, let this be your permission to pause.
You don’t need to earn your rest. You don’t need to prove your value. You’re allowed to slow down. To choose average. To choose peace.
And in doing so, you may just find the version of yourself you’ve been missing all along; the one who knows that enough is more than enough.
Photo by Ivan Samkov