Principle: Mediocrity doesn’t just happen suddenly; it develops slowly over time.
Why does this happen? Why are so many discarded ideas, projects, and opportunities tossed to the roadside, replaced by something easier, safer, and more imminent? Why do so many people start strongly and with such hope, but succumb over time to the siren song of mediocrity?
When we start our career or an exciting project, everything is new. We throw ourselves into the work with full vigor, because we know that we need to prove our worth to our manager or clients. In some ways, it’s like a new dating relationship. We put our best foot forward because we want to win the respect and approval of our potential partner. However, over time familiarity sets in and some of the aspects that once seemed new and exciting become predictable and mundane. The tasks we perform no longer stretch us, and some of them we can even do on autopilot. We’ve lost the thrill of the challenge.
The Slippery Slope
Mediocrity doesn’t always mean underperforming–it’s a sliding scale and a state of mind. It means settling in and succumbing to stasis. Mediocrity comes from the Latin words medius, meaning middle, and ocris, meaning rugged mountain. Literally translated, it means to settle halfway to the summit of a difficult mountain. It’s a compromise of abilities and potential; a negotiation between the drive to excel and the biological urge to settle for the most comfortable option.
People who are successful over the long arc, and who continue to produce in new and interesting ways after they are well established in their career, refuse to allow circumstances to define their engagement. They continue to grow, develop new skills, and seek unanticipated opportunities to use their skills to create value.
In much the same way that an organization needs to be persistently innovative in order to maintain market share, individuals must make a personal commitment to lifelong personal innovation through skill development, risk-taking, and experimentation in order to avoid stagnation. The seeds of tomorrow’s brilliance are planted in the soil of today’s activity.
Seven Deadly Sins of Mediocrity: “A-B-C-D-E-F-G”
You must be on the lookout for the Seven Deadly Sins of Mediocrity and eliminate them whenever you can. The best defense is almost always an at-the-ready offense.
* Source: Die Empty by Todd Henry