According to the Cambridge English dictionary, the word “mediocrity” refers to the quality of not being good or a person that is not very good at something or not very good at anything in particular.
In today’s society, mediocrity is rewarded: some get elected to public office, and some are splashed across many magazine covers. There seems to be an undercurrent in society that being mediocre is the norm and everyone is encouraged to follow suit. This social disease is as contagious as SARS and more deadly than the Bubonic Plague and this will have a long-term effect on humanity.
Doing our best takes time and effort; it actually requires you to sweat, be uncomfortable for a period of time and inconvenienced. Doing our best will alert people that we are striving for something and they may get uncomfortable with your results.
They may pass judgement and discourage you by saying “don’t work so hard towards what you want, you’re doing ok, no need to rock the status quo, what you are doing is good enough.” These statements are meant to make the person saying this to you a little better about their current status so if you don’t succeed they can continue doing what they are doing and just get by.
One day your great-grandchildren will be satisfied with a participation trophy or take home a medal for 12th place. The way society is heading, this will come to fruition. There is nothing wrong with trying to strive and be better than yesterday. If we as a human race cease from trying to be better than yesterday, we will still be travelling around in a horse and cart.
The thing to avoid is to stop comparing yourself to others and quit walking around with a boastful swagger. Remember that your path to success, mastery or the opposite of mediocrity is on the palm of your hands and controlled by the space between your ears.
So how do we move away from mediocrity and beat a clear path towards excellence?
First, map out how you want to live your life. What do you want in your life? What don’t you want in your life? Which part of your life where you want excellence?
Second, identify the limiting beliefs or perceived barriers that you have that are preventing you from reaching excellence status.
Third, find role models who you can model and be inspired by their accomplishments; study their habits, mindset, strategies and work ethic on how they got to where they are and use it as inspiration.
These are some tips to get you started, remember that mediocrity is self-inflicted, you choose mediocrity and you can also choose excellence. It is all up to you.
Until next time, STAY FOCUSED!
