In many recent conversations with clients, both start-ups and long-established firms, I am finding more and
more that one of the major barriers to achieving the most progress in their organisations is the crutch of mediocrity.
Ok that sound a bit aloof, but hear me out if you will.
Too often, we are waiting for some silver bullet solution to the challenges we face. The nonchalance in our gate is remarkably worrying.
If we watched ourselves from the outside, we would many times be thoroughly disappointed that we were allowing precious time to pass us by, without being the most exceptional beings that we possibly can be.
Mediocrity is deemed as:
I don’t know about you, but I would hate to be – or be seen as – a mediocre leader, friend, lover, wife
, entrepreneur, colleague, daughter or sister.
I can’t bear the thought of dying full of potential. So, with this in mind, I make every effort to recognise areas of mediocrity in my life. I challenge them as enemies of the state. The mediocrity that exists, rent-free, in me is not isolated. Like a cancer it permeates other areas of my life.
When mediocre in my eating habits, I don’t take care of myself, I allow other areas to slip, I become more allowing and desensitized to other areas that are not up to par. Then procrastination, excuses and nonchalance turn up to the party. Do you find the same?
There is a recognised psychological phenomenon that states, “how you do one thing is how you do all things”; and I think that is prevalent here. If you’re messy at home, you’re more likely to litter on the street. If you’re an all or nothing driven person in business – you are probably like that in your relationships too.
Problem is not everything should be all or nothing. There are varying degrees of effort, heart and passion you should put into whatever you do.
So, why you’re working against yourself…
I think one of the reasons we are so desensitized from pushing forward to being exceptional all or most of the 
time; is because of what we are around, how we live, who we associate with, our personal belief in achieving our life goals – or even being clear about what those are.
If we can come to a whole-brained recognition of what we want to accomplish; and a REASON why the ‘just get by’ attitude is so prevalent within us, perhaps mediocrity could be deemed as the poison it is.
If we decide not to bustle through the traffic of life like lemmings, and become the ‘odd one out’ no matter the cost. Maybe we would influence those around us to be exceptional too.
Raising the bar, in the standard for YOUR greatness:
I challenge you to think about your standards.
Think about what you WANT to stand for, what you want to be known for when you’re gone, how you want to be remembered, and what legacy you want to leave to prove you were here.
Then, become courageous and consistent. One by one bring all the areas of mediocre in your life into submission to your great capacity. You may need help when you do this, you may need to delegate some things, and you may need to deliberately postpone some things so you don’t spread yourself too thinly.
But in any case, you should seek to establish standards in every area of your life. Marriage/relationships, time and dedication to your children, your personal development, your family life, your personal appearance and grooming…. NO AREA should be left out of your analysis.
Life is an exceptional flash in time. We’re not around forever, so sticking around just to ‘get by’ or be so relaxed about what matters most (making a remarkable impact on the world, our families, our friends, in our work), has got to become a mentally arrest-able offense.
The resulting tumour of the mediocrity within, that many of us are all too painfully distracted from seeing is that we are not leveraging the greatest opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.
So why are we prone to mediocrity in the first place, and how can we overcome it?
When asked these questions, a number of entrepreneurs shared their thoughts. Here are some of the responses received:
In summary….
I leave you with this quote, which should chill you to the bone, and hope you’ll follow me on Twitter and discuss this more. Also pick up my 6 Power Seminars FREE here.
“Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them” Joseph Heller Catch-22
The real moment of pause is this – no matter which three is your personal reality; you have to decide what you’re going to do about it… Making no decision IS making a decision.
Have you noticed mediocrity in your life or those around you? Is mediocrity affecting your team or organisation? Do you have a tip to share on this topic? Did you take any ah-ha’s from this article?
Please comment below or Tweet Me @MarshaWright and I’ll reply back.
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