By Haddon Libby
This week’s article is going to be mediocre. Hopefully it will rally toward the end although I wouldn’t count on it.
I sort of wanted this week’s article to be better but with holiday obligations and not getting enough sleep and business obligations and some personal stuff, I’m just not feeling it…not to mention does anyone really care whether I write a well-researched and thoughtful article? At the end of the day, this will just be land fill or paper pulp recycled into another paper product. Why bother, you know?
Let us be clear, mediocre should not be acceptable, I know that. While the definition of mediocre says that it means ‘average and not of very good quality’, an awful lot of people think that average is acceptable. Neither average nor mediocre should be acceptable yet this level of service, product and effort seems to be rampant throughout society.
Customer service offered by most organizations is mediocre. When we go to a restaurant, we are expected to give 15%+ as a tip on service and food that is often mediocre.
Anything coming out of Washington DC these days would be lucky to be called mediocre. DC politicians seem to revel in their abilities when they do the base level of what some of us elected them for. Nevertheless, we vote for them when they come up for reelection.
As it relates to many rank and file government workers, despite some of the best salaries and pensions in America today, many work four-day weeks at a casual pace.
And products. The quality we get today is seldom as good as yesteryear.
And travel. What used to be coach is first class while coach is now third world.
And healthcare. We pay more per person in the United States than anywhere else on Earth yet our results are middling.
And education. Where students in the United States were once world leaders in math, science and reading, we are now 26th, 21th and 17th respectively, as NBC News recently reported. Meanwhile, Fox News reports, leaving you to decide whether those reports are truthful and accurate. I’m especially fond of Fox’ “verifiable” findings that both Santa Claus and Jesus Christ were both white.
I could go on and on with more specific examples but that would mean that I actually have to do the research.
So how do we break this cycle of mediocrity that is turning the greatest country on Earth into a mediocre and apathetic place?
It starts with you. Instead of doing only what others expect of you, think bigger than that and take actions every day that will move you toward those larger aspirations.
If you agree with me that most things are mediocre, do not just agree with those in positions of power and leadership. Think about things for yourself and see if you can come up with something better…and then do it. If you do the same things in the same way as everyone else, you will be just as mediocre as them.
If you want to be more than mediocre, don’t spend all of your free time watching television, playing video games and doing other mindless activities. Take some of that free time and put it toward being better than the rest at whatever you do. If you ever talk to someone who has created something exceptional, they will tell you that they worked their butt off to get there.
Take some calculated risks. Try new things that take you out of your comfort zone. While the mediocre might think you are weird or different, why should you care? Unless you want to be just like them, you need to set a different course.
(Editor’s note* Kudos to those who caught the “Twenty-Oneth” miswrite)
