I stumbled on a quote by George Carlin:

'If all kids are special, why do they grow up to be ordinary adults?'

It got me thinking, because it really does ring true. When I was in school, every class, starting from first grade, had someone who was special in some way, better at something than everyone else. Sometimes that 'special' one was even me – for example, because I could read faster than anyone in class and still grasp the meaning (a dubious skill), and later when I made it to the city-level math competition.

And it was like that every year: one kid was best at literature, another ran faster than everyone else, a third was great at something else entirely. Then there were the truly special ones – the straight‑A students everyone was supposed to look up to.

But the point is, all that specialness barely affects a person’s later life. As soon as you finish studying and start working, all your former 'achievements' basically reset to zero. Your life can easily shrink down to another quote:

'Home is the place where we keep our stuff while we’re out getting more stuff.'

Or this one:

'Live each day as if it were your last, and one day you’ll be right. And you’ll be ready.'

Which of these you lean toward depends on the philosophy that resonates with you. But that is a topic for another time :)