While I was writing this post the other week, I dovetailed down a tangential thought. With the tools at our disposal, we’ve never been more capable of doing more. Now as I state in that post, I don’t think that more is necessarily a good thing, but more is certainly possible.

I began to start thinking about what this means for the “average” person.

We’re all capable of plenty of above-average (and below-average) outputs, but, by definition, it’s probably not a good bet to think you’re high up on the bell curve.

I’m not saying you’re not. You know you better than I do. Think whatever you want. Just statistically, you’re probably average.

I like to think I’m a pretty average guy. On my best days, I think I can flirt with being above average. This isn’t self-deprecating - I know my strengths and areas where I excel - it’s just a simple fact.

I say probably because - you never know! But it ain’t exactly likely. It doesn’t mean my accomplishments in my own right aren’t worth being proud of. It just means, in the grand scheme of the world, I’m probably within a sigma or two on the bell curve in most areas:

I said up there to think whatever you want.

I kinda lied.

If this upsets you or riles you up, you probably need to relax and stop being a little snowflake. Us millennials and Zillennials (and God only knows the Gen Zs) were all raised that we were special.

And we are! Special means unique. It is an undeniable fact that every person on this earth is uniquely talented and different from one another. It’s what makes life so grand and interesting.

*whispers* Special does not mean above average, though.

Now, back to what I’m actually trying to say.

Every step forward in society raises the baseline of performance.

It’s nigh on impossible to compare the average 1980s person’s output to a 2026 person’s output - not just at work, but in everyday life. The tools and efficiencies we have at hand are night-and-day different.

I don’t think this necessarily means that people were dumber then or are dumber now. It just means that the baseline of average performance across life is much higher today than it was in yesteryear. Expectations increase.

The average person can certainly do more than ever before.

But is it really making it easier for the average person to get ahead? No.

That’s completely against the mathematical calculation of average.

If the tide is rising, all boats are lifted, not just yours. The average input and output is simply increasing, not becoming a new above-average outcome. The baseline is up for everyone. It now just takes more than before to simply stay afloat.

Disagree! I think this is a dose of reality. And it means that we all need to play smarter games and win smarter prizes, which I think is easier than it sounds. For example:

I realize these specific examples aren’t applicable for everyone, but the idea is that everyone can do this. This access is available, but maybe these things don’t have relevance. With the capability/accessibility barrier of entry down, the remaining barriers of entry to achieve are focus and effort. If you can solve for both of those traits, you can accomplish more, smartly.

And that’s how us average folks win (and in a sense, become above-average)! The baseline of performance is up, and you’re able to leverage that to do smarter things, not just do more.

It’s officially Football Season.

That’s all l need to say (but I’ll say more).

Redzone is on the TV. Chili is in the crockpot. Oktoberfest Bier is in the fridge. It’s 92 in Charleston, but I’m thinking about putting a flannel on purely for the vibes.

I’m in full swing, slugging a Miller Lite, looking someone dead in the eye, and hitting them with my twelfth “big 3rd down here” of the day as they nod in agreement. It most certainly is a big 3rd down.

Drink it in while you can. It’ll be gone before we know it. Football season is fleeting and beautiful. Like that plastic bag in American Beauty. I’ve never seen that movie, but I’m pretty sure that makes sense.

God bless this country.

Not exactly the soundtrack to my week - I just want you to share in the misery of these catchy tunes getting locked into your brain for the foreseeable future

First one is an absolute throwback banger, second is Matt Olson’s walkup song that gets stuck in my head every time he’s up, and third is a song I immediately loved and immediately had to Genius the lyrics because I couldn’t follow what he’s talking about.

Sincerely,

Zander Barth