Mediocrity or Excellence?

"Why choose mediocrity when excellence is an option?"

It may be a bit hard to read in the graphic above but, the gentleman featured is the founder of BNI (Business Network International), Ivan Misner. I'm not sure if the quote that you see in the box next to him is actually his but, he did share that statement in the video from which this screenshot came.

A little side note about BNI. I recently joined this organization in order to help my business. If you are looking for an excellent networking group that focuses on referrals then I strongly encourage you to check this group out. You should be able to find a chapter in your area by doing a search online.

The quote can apply to just about any and every situation whether you are talking about relationships, mindset or the workplace. And, by the way, excellence is ALWAYS an option!

The sad thing is what I found in the following graphic...

That literally makes me shudder because I've seen what seems to be this idea lived out in the flesh! YIKES! For too many, it seems that mediocrity is the "norm" and, friend, that's a horrible way to live and go through life. 

It's kind of like those t-shirts that I saw back several years ago. One would state, "I'm #1 - Why Try Harder?" and another would state, "I'm #3 - Why Try At All?". I believe there are too many in our society that are living the "#3 Lifestyle". 

Listen friend, if you choose to improve your life then you MUST understand the importance of determining that you will - at ALL times - seek excellence and NEVER settle for mediocrity.  

Now, listen, I'm not here to say that my sons always did what I advised them to do when they were still living at home but I tried to give good advice about their jobs when they got old enough to work for others. I would tell them to ALWAYS do more than what was expected out of them and that, if they did so, they would never lack good referrals and they would never lack finding a good job.

Why is that so? Because so many others will do ONLY what is expected of them and, many times, not even that! That have settled for mediocrity and, often, these are also the ones that whine and complain about not getting a raise or better jobs. 

My guess (and hope) is that, if you are reading this article, you are not likely a person that would settle for being mediocre and that you seek excellence. Still, be careful and stay aware because it is possible to allow yourself to settle for less or to settle for mediocrity in those that surround us or even in ourselves. 

ALWAYS seek excellence and, as you do so, always be sure to...

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

Mike

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Avoid the Flatline

Avoid the Flatline

Oh yeah, when you or someone you love is in the hospital you DO NOT want to see that pattern shown above. You don't want to see the dreaded "flatline"!

You WANT to see the "ups and downs" that indicate that your heart is pumping and working showing that you are ALIVE!

Now, surely, you are catching the obvious comparisons here, right? I've already talked about the "pattern of life" that we often go through in our own lives when we experience the "ups and downs".

We think we'd LOVE it if all we ever encountered were "up times". We AVOID the "down times" as much as possible yet, just as with the EKG readout, the "ups and downs" in our own lives are also indicators that we are ALIVE!

And, just like in the hospital and on the EKG readout we should also AVOID THE "FLATLINE" in the pattern of our life!

Many people flatline when they have hit an extended down period in their lives but it is also possible to "flatline" when things aren't so bad. That's right. It's easy to "settle for the mundane" or "the easy". It's easy to want to live life without "rocking the boat" or creating any waves.

BORING!

And dangerous IF you want to avoid the "flatline".

Hey, listen... whether you are settling for mediocrity or stuck in a down period, whatever you do - DO NOT FLATLINE!

In other words, do NOT give up and do NOT settle.

We see the dangers of this type of "inactivity" all around us. A body of water that does not have flow ("life", energy) becomes a STAGNANT pool of FILTH and DISEASE! A person that is inactive WILL face health issues and this is really evident in those that are confined to nursing homes when they are unable to move about. They MUST be moved or they will develop all sorts of bed sores as well as other ailments.

MOVEMENT IS A MUST FOR LIFE!

Again, even if you are in an extended down period - DO NOT GIVE UP! Look for those small "up-ticks" in your day. It may be the smile of a friend or the sunshine or whatever it is. LOOK FOR THESE THINGS in your day so that you DO NOT "flatline" and become stagnant!

Remember, "As long as there is breath there is hope!" - DO NOT EVER FORGET THAT!

Tomorrow, in the concluding article for this series I will discuss the HOPE that we still have even if we HAVE "flatlined". Be sure to join me for this important discussion.

Until then...

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

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com

Raise the Bar of Your Expectation

Raise the Bar of Your Expectation!

The thought of everyone being exceptional is a nice thought, isn't it? It's a pleasant thought for all parents to believe that their children are exceptional and it's also a pleasant thought to all adults to think that they, themselves, are exceptional.

The only problem with this is the fact that it is simply not true. Sorry to burst your bubble!

One of the definitions for exceptional given by dictionary.com is as follows: "unusually excellent; superior".

Now, when I read this definition it tells me that if exceptional means unusually excellent then I need to check out the definition for that word as well. Here it is: "possessing outstanding quality or superior merit; remarkably good."

Now friend, as bad as we may wish that this were true of everyone the plain truth is that it IS NOT! The truth is that, lowering the bar does NOT make everyone exceptional. We can applaud that approach and say that it breeds confidence and excellence and whatever else you want to say but the simple truth is that it breeds MEDIOCRITY! (Go back and listen to one of the earlier podcasts this week to hear my full rant on that).

You already know this, but I'm here to encourage you to do the opposite. Instead of lowering the bar of expectation and settling for less, why not RAISE THE BAR OF YOUR EXPECTATION and stretch and grow along the way?

Can you imagine watching a basketball game without any goals? What would be the point of the competition - to see who could dribble the best? When you think of the activities during the NBA's "All-Star Weekend" they are all focused on either the physical goal (3 point contest, dunk contest, All-Star game, Rookie game) OR achievement goals (the skills challenge).

What about football? What if the goal lines and the goal post were removed from the competition? What about hockey? Soccer?

What if there were no home runs in baseball and no one kept score in ANY of these events? Oh, I know some of you might say, "What would be so bad about that?"

Well, again, go back to one of my previous podcasts/blogs for the week and answer the question if YOU want to ride on an airplane or get behind the wheel of an automobile that was constructed (if that would even be possible) by a group of people that never had grades or goals to measure their abilities. Go ahead, you can take my seat ANYTIME!

You see, this is one reason why we must WAKE UP and FIGHT to remove this "disease" of mediocrity from our own lives! It IS a killer of hope and a killer of dreams. And, it is also a killer of life.

"A killer of life? How so?"

Here's how: When you allow mediocrity (settling for less) to take root in your life you have ceased to LIVE. You have begun to "exist".

One sure way to rid your life of mediocrity is to RAISE THE BAR OF YOUR EXPECTATION for yourself!

Yes, this will take PLANNING , this will take FOCUS, this will take DEDICATION and this will take ACTION - but what noble effort doesn't require these things of those that pursue?

"Oh, but if I raise my expectations too high I might fail!"

Here's a secret for you... you WILL fail in your efforts! ("Wait a minute, I thought you were here to ENCOURAGE me, Mike!?")

How do I know that and why would I say that? Here we go - pay close attention!

If you set goals and you reach them easily then you need to raise the bar of your expectations AGAIN! Easy success is not really success, is it? If you don't have to change anything in order to reach that goal, what has been accomplished?

Imagine someone saying this, "Today I'm going to set a goal of doing everything like I always do!"

What would you say about that?

This is why I say RAISE the bar of your expectation... if you're already "clearing the bar" without any effort you're not really accomplishing much.

Oh, I understand that a great athlete may be able to jump over the bar higher than anyone else and be considered the best! However, if it has become easy for him and he never tries to "raise the bar" to see if he might be able to do even better, his accomplishment has ceased! And, sooner or later, someone will surpass him while he sits by admiring his past accomplishment.

I could go on and on with this but, the bottom line is this: IT IS UP TO YOU to raise the bar of your expectations!

When - no if - you fall short, get up, learn the lesson that needs to be learned before you make your next attempt and then go at it again! DO NOT SETTLE FOR LESS!

The idea of EVERYONE being exceptional as a way to boost confidence is a lie. The "confidence" is not confidence at all - it is a false feeling that will catch up sooner or later and lead to dissatisfaction, disappointment, disillusion and, eventually, disgust!

Why not raise the bar, rid your life of mediocrity and settling for less and PUSH yourself FORWARD to greater things in your life?

You DO have that ability and you CAN accomplish more IF you dedicate yourself to the process.

And, as you do so...

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

Mike

Kick Mediocrity Out of Your Life!

Kick Mediocrity Out of Your Life!

Are you sick of it yet? Are you sick of the fact that you likely have allowed some level of mediocrity to seep into your life?

Even the "strongest" of us will likely have to admit that we have allowed this on SOME level. YUCK!

Are you tired of allowing this "disease" to suck your energy, hope, focus and life out of you?

No? Then find something else to do other than reading this blog.

You still here? Good! Then that means that YOU, my friend, are not only tired of allowing this in your life but you are now read - and determined - to RID your life of this dream-killer.

Stop cuddling, feeding and giving mediocrity a home in your life! Now, if you listened to the podcast you know I couldn't think of the name of these characters that I'm about to describe, but, alas, this morning I looked it up on the internet!

Remember the "Gremlins"? Cute, cuddly little pets! However, if you allowed them to get wet they reproduced like crazy and if you fed them after midnight they turned into little, DESTRUCTIVE, monsters!

Yeah, that's mediocrity.

You're also aware of the warnings about carbon monoxide poisoning in your own home, right? Odorless, silent and deadly! In your own home.

Yeah, that's mediocrity.

Understanding that we NEED to rid our lives of mediocrity is great! Agreeing that we need to kick mediocrity "to the curb" is a wonderful thing! Admitting that you are sick of this "disease" in your life is a necessary revelation!

However...what are you going to DO about it?

Remember this formula: Decision DEMANDS Action!

Without action, a "decision" is just wishful thinking. Think about that.

What will YOU do to actively rid your life of mediocrity and then what will you do to KEEP IT OUT of your life?

If you KNEW that a killer was standing out on the sidewalk in front of your house just waiting for an opportunity to get into your house, what would you do?

Hey, wake up. That killer is there and that killer goes by the name, "Mediocrity".

You CAN do it! And I'm here to help.

But YOU have to do it. And you CAN do it. And you WILL do it... IF you are, indeed sick enough of it.

Tomorrow we will talk about the need of "raising the bar" in our lives in order to make this happen.

Think of how much better you life can and will be when you become "mediocrity-free"! Think of the power you will feel and think of the success you will achieve!

And, as you do so...

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

Mike

Is Mediocrity Acceptable?

Is Mediocrity Acceptable?

Let's start off by asking a few more questions that will help us answer the question found in the title of today's entry...

1. Is mediocrity accepted in our world?

2. Is mediocrity accepted in YOUR world? (your friends and relatives; the people you spend your time with)

3. Is mediocrity acceptable to YOU?

We're going to break each one of these down a little more in a moment, but I want you to understand that, many times, something IS or ISN'T acceptable to you based on the influence of those around you. Think about it and I'm sure you can come up with many examples of your own. Here are just a couple that comes to my mind today:

Example 1: Those that have been raised with religious mindset, have "gone to church" most of their life, spend their time with friends and family of the same mindset will likely a different view of what is acceptable and unacceptable than those that have had no such background. What may be perfectly acceptable to those brought up in a "non-religious home" might be considered unacceptable by those that were. This example could go on and on but I think you get the main idea AND, let me point out, that on EITHER side of this those ideas and thoughts can be changed by changing the people that they spend time with!

Example 2: Those that have been raised in a home that pays a lot of attention to manners (table manners, proper attire for certain occasions, etc.) will very likely have a different idea of what is or isn't acceptable than those that were raised in a much more casual atmosphere. The more casual family may not give a second thought to having their elbows on the table, talking with food in their mouth, laughing and joking at the table, etc. while the "manners family" might find all of this very unacceptable.

Again, you can come up with your own examples, but I wanted to give those so that we can understand that even in the area of mediocrity this can be true! So, let's break down the three questions presented above and see what we come up with, o.k.?

1. Is mediocrity accepted in our world (as a whole)? I suppose it's rather hard for me to speak about the world, so I'll focus my thoughts on the U.S.A. as to what I have observed in this area. My answer for the U.S.A. - YES! I do think that, in many areas and due to the "political correctness poison" that seems to rule so many times that we have allowed mediocrity to be acceptable. I know that many won't agree with me but, in my opinion, when we have activities for our children (ball games, school, etc.) where we don't keep score, we don't give our awards unless EVERYONE gets them and we don't give out grades - all so that they can all feel ACCEPTED - we are accepting and TEACHING mediocrity! Be sure to listen to the podcast for today on a couple of questions I have for you concerning these ideas. I think you'll find that all of this sounds really good until you really see the ultimate outcome of such thinking.

2. Is mediocrity accepted in YOUR world? Again, you can go back to the two examples given above about how things are or are not acceptable greatly in part - many times - because of the influences around us. I really want to you sit up and take notice of this in your own life and see what kind of influences you are allowing in THIS area of your life! Here's a real clue on the acceptance level of those around you --- how often do you hear them make comments or suggestions to you or others in "your world" to just "let it go"? I'm not talking about letting go of anger or worry here. I'm talking about responsibility. Someone might say, "I really need to go back home and finish up on some paperwork that my boss needs done" and the reply might be, "Oh, just let it go. Don't worry about it! You can throw something together at the last minute, right?" -- WARNING SIGN! High school and college is a breeding ground for mediocrity in this way many times, so BEWARE of those that make up "your world"!

3. Is mediocrity acceptable to YOU? You likely will already have your honest answer just by considering the first two questions presented in this article today. You may even be surprised to find out how accepting you have become of mediocrity in your own life. That's right, you may need to make some changes in your life UNLESS you are satisfied with living a mediocre life and settling for less. It's up to you!

Most of us find the thought of mediocrity distasteful! But, just like with many things, given enough time, we can get used to almost anything.

DO NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP!

From yesterday's title - BEWARE Mediocrity! And, from today - FIGHT the tendency for it to become acceptable in your life.

And, as you do...

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

Mike

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