I like to joke that you’re unique and special, just like everybody else. Put another way, on average, everyone is pretty average. Intellectually, this only makes sense. By and large, most characteristics likely fall on some form of a bell curve following a normal distribution. So, it should surprise no one when most of us fall “somewhere in the middle.” All the same, it can feel super eerie when you start to look at the particulars.

Let me explain, using me as an example. Because I’m obviously self-centered like that. With an average amount of self-centeredness, of course.

The Mediocrity Is Exceptional

I’d like to delude myself into believing that I’m exceptional. Going through school, I was enrolled in a “gifted” program (no mutant powers, fortunately or unfortunately) more than once. Just like how the average driver believes they’re an above average driver, that can’t possibly be true (on average) for everyone. And such is also the case when I break down some of my demographics and characteristics.

  • The median age in Canada is 41.1 years.
  • The average male height in Canada is 5 feet, 10.1 inches.
  • The average male weight in Canada is 187 pounds.
  • About 54% of Canadians aged 25 to 64 have a college or university education.
  • Visible minorities make up 63.6% of Burnaby residents.
  • The single largest visible minority group in Metro Vancouver is Chinese (13%).

While I don’t precisely hit the nail on the head for all of these figures, I come awfully close. Similarly, we bought a new car earlier this year for around $50,000 before government rebates (love our PHEV!). The average price of a new vehicle in Canada is $50,758. It’s eerie how close that is!

On Money Matters and Personal Identity

Continuing on the topic of dollars and cents, this notion of being absurdly average depends somewhat on how specific we are. Our household income and the value of our home aren’t quite in line with the Canadian average, but Metro Vancouver is a unique duck. If we narrow it down to my corner of Vancouver’s suburbs, we’re right in the same range as our neighbors. On average.

What about more qualitative measures and personal characteristics? Want to talk about being absurdly average (or exceptionally mediocre)? Yup, I fit the profile. Or I understood the assignment, if you prefer.

Especially with what we’ve experienced collectively these last couple of years, it’s pretty typical to be a work-from-home digital professional. I said this was unconventional 15 years ago. Not so anymore. See what I’m doing with this blog, YouTube, Instagram and my podcast? It feels like everyone else is an online content creator or digital influencer these days.

The Absurdly Average Square Peg?

Am I just like everyone else? In some ways, in many ways, maybe I am. After all, like I said, we’re all pretty average, on average. If that’s the case, though, why is it that I always feel like a square peg surrounded by round holes? Like I don’t really belong anywhere? Well, there’s supporting evidence for that sentiment too.

  • I have a degree in psychology, where you don’t typically see too many Asian males. If I were a stereotypically good Asian, I should’ve become an accountant, a lawyer or an engineer. Instead, maybe I’m a disgrace to my family.
  • At the same time, I’ve never felt “Chinese enough” to be included in the Chinese community. I hardly speak the language. But I’ve never felt “Canadian enough” either to fit in among my “Canadian” peers.
  • Ask some people, including many of my closest relatives, and they’ll tell you that I haven’t had a “real job” in years. While I transitioned to a work-from-home “day job” a few years ago (along with occasional freelance work), it still doesn’t look like “real work” in the eyes of some traditionalists.
  • You may have noticed that I’m a dad blogger who’s also a person of color (POC). You may have also noticed that the single largest cohort among bloggers in the parenting space are typically white, suburban moms. The Asian-Canadian dad blogger is something of an anomaly, it feels.
  • Both Asian stoicism and prevailing alpha male culture say that I’m not supposed to be vulnerable or talk about my feelings. I’m supposed to “man up,” whatever that means. But, if you follow me here and on social media, you’ll know I’m pretty open about my challenges and insecurities.

No One Knows What It Means, But It’s Provocative?

I’m not really sure what was the point exactly of today’s exercise. It was just a thought I’ve been having for a while. So, I figured working it through in a blog post would be beneficial for me and it could serve as good conversation fodder for you, dear reader. What do you think? Am I mediocre and exceptionally so? Are you? What should we do with this information, if anything?