I'm puzzled!
I'm perplexed!
I'm frustrated!
I'm disappointed!
I'm curious!
Why do I feel like I am living in a world where being mediocre and doing mediocre is the new norm? When did a pursuit of excellence get replaced by good enough? Mediocrity rules!
Perhaps it's my Type A personality that is driven to achieve. Perhaps it is my upbringing with parents who taught me that anything worth doing is worth doing well. I'm not exactly sure of the reason, but I can declare that this mediocrity thing really bugs me and I'm starting to feel like an ogre when I push for things to be better. What do you really learn by doing mediocre work? How can you be proud of that?
Let's be clear about one thing - I am not saying that everyone can produce the same quality of work! There are two issues at play here - ability and willingness. I applaud the people that work to the best of their ability; it's the ones that have ability to be great or make a difference and are unwilling to fully engage and do their best that make me crazy.
I had to look up the word mediocre and learn about it's origin. From the Latin, it literally means half-way up the mountain. If this life is a journey over, through and around several mountain ranges, then I want to be with people that inspire me to keep going- people that occasionally kick me in the butt and help me get over myself and move - people that teach me how to do and be more - people that I look up to. I have been blessed to have many such people in my life. I believe that you have those people in your life to. How grateful should we be to have models of excellence in our lives?
“We gain nothing by being with such as ourselves. We encourage one another in mediocrity. I am always longing to be with men more excellent than myself.”
Just as someone has and is modeling excellence for you, you can model excellence for someone else. What do you teach someone when you settle for being and doing mediocre? My challenge for you this week is to look at your life - find a piece, no matter how small or large, where you have accepted mediocrity as good enough. Pull out that piece and stomp all over mediocre and go for excellence. If it's worth spending time on, then be excellent. Maybe it's a being a singer in the church choir, a member on a committee, a job, a friendship, or a hobby.
Ask yourself what excellence would look like and go there.