how to fight mediocrity?
a massive 95% of the population of this world is living a mediocre existence. is it because they think it is not easy to come out of their slumber and sit among the elite 5%? or is the mere thought of being out their at the top puts them under a spell of discomfort? it really shouldn’t be that difficult to be successful in life and live at your optimum best. yes, to sustain the levels of success could certainly take its toll on you.
the opposite of mediocrity is excellence. and although it is not really possible to achieve excellence in everything simultaneously (unless you are leonardo da vinci), it is definitely possible to excel in few chosen things at a time. and therefore, it is important to first know what is it that you want. until you know what you truly desire, it is impossible to commit yourself to the work needed to get there. vague visions lead to vague results. and so, your vision has to be crystal clear.
most of the people do not have a vision at all. they live life in present and take on each moment as it comes to them. they have no plans for the future and they don’t anticipate anything. they simply get the basic education, graduate, take up any job, and spend their life working the same shift everyday. they succeed in life to some limited extent, are moderately satisfied, and stay mediocre for the rest of their lives. they stop growing.
following maybe the reasons why people are satisfied with mediocrity?
1. most of their time is consumed in the daily household chores and they do not actually take time out for thinking about their life and business.
2. they think that they lack the proper resources or contacts or education required to bring in change, and they believe that they don’t have the required set skills to succeed and that they are not good enough.
but the truth is startling. 99% of households in the united states have a tv set and families spent an average of 5 hours per day watching the television. i believe that to be the root of mediocrity: the idiot box. if the time we spend on the tv is spent on ourselves to become better everyday, everyone can come out a star.
it is all about what habits you inculcate in your daily routine. small daily activities lead to great long term results, be it positive or negative. e.g. if you walk daily for an hour at a brisk pace, you will have a slim body in 2 years, and if you eat a hamburger everyday for 2 years, you will have a pot belly in 2 years. the way you get out of mediocrity is by engaging in regular habits and processes that push you out of mediocre habits.
the only way you can improve your life is by improving your own self in all fronts: physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and so forth. you cannot expect life to yield you good results if you are not working on yourself. you will see a drastic change in your life the day you start putting effort toward developing yourself. you will see how quickly you attract positive results when you are working on yourself. you will think better and feel better about yourself.
thus, to fight mediocrity you must:
- get out of your bed early morning and start moving (exercise).
- take a shower and meditate for at least 10 minutes (with gratitude, you may include your prayers here).
- prepare a time table and prioritize tasks for each day in the morning itself (*productivity journal* include your dreams/long terms goals here and review them everyday).
- go to work with a wide smile on your face and give your 100% in whatever you do (a job done well is a fulfilling experience). take adequate breaks between work.
- in the evening, go back to your journal and evaluate your day (check out the tasks done, note the best things that happened during the day, record your thoughts on the day).
- go to bed early but before you sleep, tell yourself that you are becoming better everyday, that you are moving out of mediocrity and heading toward excellence (visualize your dreams coming true).
go, live your dreams!
