We live in a society where everyone is striving to be the best. We push our children from a young age to excel and be the best that they can be, we tell them that they can be anything that they want to be. And while this can breed healthy competitiveness, sometimes it’s too much. If you’re constantly aiming to be the best all the time, this can only ultimately end in disappointment, because only one person can be the best.

One way to combat this is to simply try and be the best that you can be. Learning to accept that everyone has different capabilities is an important lesson. The best for someone else might not be the best for you. While this can help a lot of people, the problem arises when you want something that you will never get. Constantly pushing to be better, and not achieving it can be soul-destroying. Where did this concept come from ‘to be the best’? The need for recognition in society and to excel is drilled into us, and this can set you up for disappointment and failure.

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It’s time to accept that it’s okay to be average. You don’t always have to find the ‘best way’ to do something, a ‘good way’ will also work, and so will a ‘way’. What’s important is that you get it done in the end. Changing your psyche to learn that things don’t have to be done in the ‘best way’, or that you don’t need to be ‘the best’, can instantly improve your mental health. Accepting not only your own limitations but also life’s limitations will help you to accept yourself. Being okay with being average, can sometimes result in an overall happier state of mind. Lifting the pressure of trying to be ‘the best’, will free up some time for you to just focus on other things. A lighter load is a lighter mind, and a lighter mind can lead to a happier self.