When David McCullough Jr told graduating seniors at Wesslley High School, “You are not special. You are not exceptional,” the speech went viral. It’s not difficult to observe our worlds obsession with being the best, and average nowadays has been deemed not good enough.

“The definition of average today is when someone is stuck in the middle,” senior Marriam Hassan said. “They have talent but are unnoticed and unable to overcome challenges thrown at them in a way that is exceptional.”

I wonder if there is any room for the ordinary any more, for the child or teenager, or adult who enjoys a pickup game of baseball but is far from Olympic material, who will be a good citizen but won’t set the world on fire.

“Kids push to be the first to reach the next rung on the ladder, but there will always be a higher one and someone else, groups eve, accomplishing the same thing that used to be unique and special,” senior Michelle Cowles said.

We have to start seeing ourselves not categorically defined in society but as people who embrace their ability to choose and think and change and enjoy their morning cup of coffee and call themselves average.

“I think it is ok to be average because in the future there will be hundreds of people within your profession,” Hassan said. “It all depends on what you expect from life. When you accomplish your dream than you may be extraordinary.”

Only a handful of people get to be exceptional. Only a handful of people get to be Michael Phelps and only three people get to stand on the podium. Forget the podium. Forget the labels. Forget your inner critic. Average is ok. And just as Mr. McCullough said, “Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.”