Beyond Good Enough
It's time to kick average to the curb
Listen here!
I’ve been reading a short Seth Godin book called “The Dip.”1 I read this quote while waiting for my coffee to brew this morning. It punched me in the gut:
"Realize that you have only two good choices: Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers." - Seth Godin
Not because it's harsh (though it kind of is), but because it speaks to something I've been feeling lately. Many of us carry this quiet ache—this sense that we were meant for something more than just moving through the motions of our everyday routines. Maybe you've felt it too? That gentle nudge when you're doing the dishes, riding through the automatic carwash, or waiting in the self-checkout line at the grocery store—a whisper saying you were born for something extraordinary.
Remember those dreams you had? The ones where you imagined yourself making an impact, creating something meaningful, or stepping into a vibrant and alive life. But somewhere along the way, life happens. We get comfortable in our patterns. We start accepting "good enough" instead of exceptional. We tell ourselves that dreaming big is for other people – people with more time, more talent, more of something we lack.
What I'm learning is that extraordinary lives don't happen by accident:
Ordinary routines can mask extraordinary potential: That daily walk could be where you finally get clarity about the book you need to write. That hobby could evolve into a business that changes your community.
Courage isn't about fearlessness: It's about feeling the fear of stepping out of the average and doing it anyway, even when your hands shake and your voice trembles.
Your unique voice needs to be heard: The specific way you see the world, solve problems, or connect with others isn't random – it's the fingerprint of your purpose.
Small, brave choices compound: Exceptional living isn't one dramatic decision—it's thousands of tiny moments of choosing authenticity over convenience.
Last week, I hesitated to share an idea in a team meeting because it felt too different from what the rest of the group said. It felt too bold. At that moment, I realized how easily we can silence our extraordinary to stay average. But here's what I know to be true: that unique spark you carry – that perspective, that passion, that possibility that keeps tapping on your heart – it's not there by accident. It's there because only you can bring it to life in the specific way the world needs.
The most painful regret isn't failing at something exceptional — it's never giving yourself permission to try. So I'm wondering, what extraordinary thing is waiting inside you? What would happen if, just for today, you decided that average was no longer an option for your one shot at life?
You were born to create ripples that become waves. No one has ever been born or will ever be born like you.
Color outside the lines.
Take your shot.
Refuse to be average!
In 20 years of meetings in the family business, when trying to solve a problem, I’d always look at all the obvious things being proposed, and just try to throw out the craziest thing we could do. Sometimes those would be confirmed as - we can’t do that. But sometimes, through the discussion, they turned into my best ideas.
Whenever I’m in a room full of people who overwhelmingly agree on something, I realize there’s likely a serious problem with the thinking and try to find the problem with it.
That’s the funny thing about life. The people throughout history who moved society forward in the biggest ways, always thought differently from the crowd, were mocked and criticized for it, until their ideas revolutionized society (though still often highly criticized).
Most of us will never be that. But maybe we can to a few people around us.
You're so great, Tarek! Thank you!