Getting admitted to the best college or university? Graduating with a high GPA? Becoming the CEO of a Multi-National Company? Or rolling around in dollar bills? In short, being ridiculously amazing at everything?
Well, that’s where I disagree.
We all have our own versions of being ‘Extraordinary’. The things mentioned above are the universally set standards which are used to judge and actually criticize how much a person is ‘ordinary’. Just so you know, having the courage to follow your dreams is better than having to live up to all these expectations just to PROVE the world that you are something which you probably don’t even want to be in the first place.
I believe that we all are extraordinary as per our own standards. And let me tell you, spending half of your life being a world-class manager of a company that you don’t even like, doing a 9-5 job which is extremely boring and working your ass off is soooo ‘ordinary’. For me, getting to pursue and excel at what I love would be the most extraordinary life that I could imagine for myself.
Varada, a high school student said “I think that people often lose sight of their dreams as they grow older and fall into the “ordinary” lifestyle. By seeing that lifestyle as “normal”, people just accept that and stop thinking outside the box or about the things they once used to dream of. Those dreams just become irrational thoughts that will never turn to reality. Expectations and pressure mould us into a person we don’t recognize but are forced to live with. It’s up to a person if they give in to the society or if they choose to be their own person.”
However, on the contrary, keeping in mind the diverse human mindset, Arnav, an engineering student said, “I feel ordinary and extraordinary is a relative concept. So, I feel it depends completely on the person, what their expectations are and if they’re happy with their seemingly “ordinary” expectations, probably because it means a lot to them. At the end of the day, if you’re satisfied with the work that you’ve put in to achieve your goals, then no expectations are too ordinary.”
Life is extraordinary when you walk that ‘extra’ mile, take that leap of faith, and believe in yourself and your vision of life, making your dream a living reality. Working towards what you want rather than what others want you to have is the first step in being happy and ‘extraordinary’.
Shaurya Thapa, Web Editor, DU Beat added a rather different stance and said, “So, I for one feel ordinary expectations is fine, but it depends from person to person. At least in youth, a person should have high aspirations but then an equal amount of effort needs to be put with it. Even if we fail despite all that, it’s fine to have little ordinary expectations then, as at least we tried.”
At the end, one shouldn’t let people who are drowning in their own misery of not being able to achieve their ‘extraordinary’ goals, tell you how to achieve yours.
Feature Image Credits: Career Pivot
Anukriti Mudgil
