Beware Mediocrity!

"Beware Mediocrity!"

How many of us would line up to go to the restaurant that would advertise a "mediocre sandwich"? Perhaps they believe in the "truth in advertising" rule! (Don't you wish more restaurants were as open and honest as the "mocked up" sign above?)

Here is the definition of "mediocre" as given by dictionary.com . . .

MEDIOCRE: adjective
1. of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.
2. rather poor or inferior.

Now, YOU tell ME - would you seek out a restaurant, a business, a car dealership, a doctor, a dentist, a school, a realtor (and on and on we could go) that promoted themselves using EITHER of these definitions?

Can you even imagine an advertisement coming across your television screen or the radio airwaves with the voice saying, "Our customers say we're neither good or bad! Heck no! As a matter of fact, they say we're 'barely adequate'!"

Now, let's get down to the point - how many of us have settled for these to be definitions of our own lives? OUCH!

Yes, we are continuing our discussion of the choice we have to either FOLLOW our dreams or SETTLE for less!

This is one of my greatest concerns about our young people. Yes, there are examples of young people that are doing some incredible things with their lives. But, my guess - and that's all it is - would be that for every one of THOSE teens there are likely ten others that have already settled into a lifestyle of accepting mediocrity for their lives.

The struggle for us all in trying to correct this problem (with our young people - we'll get to you and me next) is in trying to help our young people understand that, indeed, the WORLD lies open and waiting for them! That, at their young age, they can accomplish SO much! That, at their age, they have the time to mess up several times and still recover! That, IN this age that we live in there is likely more opportunity available for them than ever before in the history of our world.

But, what kind of example are WE (yeah, this is the "me and you" part I just talked about) setting for them in this area? Let's look at the things I just mentioned that our young people need to understand and notice that WE, too, need to understand the same things:

1. The WORLD lies open and waiting for YOU! Regardless of your age, this fact is true. Remember, stop making excuses (disguised as "reasons") and look around.

2. At YOUR age, you can accomplish SO much! This is NOT true only for young people. Age really doesn't have a lot to do with it IF you understand and realize point 1: The world lies open and waiting for YOU.

3. At YOUR age, you have the time to mess up several times and still recover! Now, granted, the younger you are the better this is for you. But let me ask you this question: How old are you now and how many times have you really messed up already? Oh, and let me ask you this one, too: Are you still here? Remember, "As long as there is breath there is hope!"

4. IN this age that we live in there is likely more opportunity available for YOU than ever before in the history of our world. You see, this one fact removes the age barrier for the most part. This one fact removes the geographical barrier BIG TIME! As I have mentioned lately on my podcast, if you have the ability to listen to my podcast and/or to be reading this blog, then you have access to some of the greatest tools that can open up GREAT AREAS OF SUCCESS in your life. Regardless of who you are, where you are and how old or young you are.

One of the quotes I use in today's podcast is from Ayn Rand and it is the following: "The quickest way to kill the human spirit is to ask someone to do mediocre work."

Now, along with that, I'd like to include another quote because I think they go "hand-in-hand" with one another. This one is from Scott Alexander which says, "All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy."

Too many of us have sought out the EASY in our lives and, because of this, have allowed and settled for mediocrity in our lives! WAKE UP!

Chances are that if you feel empty, lifeless and in a dead-end situation that you have allowed and settled for mediocrity in your life.

Yes, some people actually seek out the easiest, least demanding job that they can find. It doesn't matter to them that it is also the least PAYING job and that they can be replaced by just about ANY "Joe Mamma" on the street - it's easy and that is exactly what they seek.

Many companies use these mind-numbing (and often "butt-numbing"!) tasks to weed people out. Yes, these tasks are likely necessary and must be done. But, again, ANYONE can do them and many times companies will start workers off to see who will rise above and who will settle. Kind of like the example given last week about a glass of water with impurities. And it's like the proverbial example of the "cream rising to the top"...SEPARATION!

We are going to be continuing this discussion for the rest of this week and I encourage you to take an inventory - an HONEST one - of your mindset and your attitude as you consider these thoughts. Could it be that YOU have settled for less and, by doing so, settled for mediocrity?

YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT and don't you ever forget it!

Desire to "rise above" and, as you do so...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike