Let’s be honest, we have all, at some point, been guilty of slacking off and under-achieving. Sometimes, it is just easier to, isn’t it. But by doing so we end up living a life of mediocrity. This article is all about mediocrity. What is mediocrity and how we can avoid it to enable us to lead an authentic life.
As humans, we are seemingly wired into finding the easy way out of things. Our ancestors invented the wheel to ease up things, and progress just picked up from then on. Our creative juices kept flowing as we built an amazing world for us to live in.
All was hunky dory so far, until the moment we fell into that rut called laziness. We could even call it nonchalance. We’d reached a point where we just had to do what had to be done, and moved on to mechanically performing the next task at hand.
Pragmatical doctrines tell us that only a select few are destined for greatness. The sad part, however, is how we take comfort in this fact and stay content with settling for second best, compromising, making do with whatever is available, and so on. Every once in a while, though, a nagging feeling creeps up, indicating that something is not quite right, and is not up to the mark.
So, are you ready to pull up those socks and punch mediocrity in its ugly face? Follow these steps and you’ll know how.
Aim for Perfection
It does seem like a fancy bit of advice to dispense, especially after considering the barriers we face in the real world. Aiming for perfection makes sense when we are at leisure, when we have all the time and resources at our disposal to come up with a jaw-dropping creation. It is natural to argue that perfection is an indulgence of the privileged. Us plebians always have to “make do”. Make do with whatever little time is available. Make do with whatever resources are available. Who has the time for perfection anyway?
Wrong. Admit it – you always know that there is scope for perfection in every domain of our life. It is just that we are so overwrought with the thought of getting things done, that we invest very little time in devising ways to perfect it. Just makes you sad admitting it, doesn’t it?
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Understand What ‘Mediocre’ Means
Well, it’s all nice to throw around expectations without being a beacon of perfection ourselves. To be able to follow through on the previous point, one needs to toe the line himself. This requires a complete overhaul of the way we’ve been functioning so far, and modifying our perspective. How do we do that? It’s simple – by practicing what we preach.
To bypass mediocrity, we need to foster a deep sense of hatred towards everything the word represents. Here, check out the synonyms the word ‘mediocre’ has –
Ordinary
Lackluster
Undistinguished
And these are just three among the many other humdrum (there’s another synonym) words. We spend our busy lives rushing to finish the tasks assigned to us, without even making an effort to make an effort. How then, do we avoid falling into the trap that is mediocrity? Here’s the answer for you.
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
– Jimmy Johnson
Gift Yourself the Chance to Shine
Okay, so most of us have more or less accepted the fact that we’re never going to win the Nobel Prize, or an Oscar, or an Emmy, or even a SAG Award. So, the only way for us to feel worthy of having achieved something is to put in our best in whatever little we do. Yes, there is a better way to file those documents. Yes, there is a smarter way to fold your laundry. And yes, there is always a way to do things better than you are at the moment. Attaining perfection need not be your goal, but putting in an effort always should. That will surely keep mediocrity at bay.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
– Maya Angelou
