Are You Settling for Mediocrity?
Please help me welcome Ingrid Abboud, better known as Griddy. I’m so happy she agreed to be our Guest Author today. You’ve seen her around Life,for instance. Griddy blogs regularly at NittyGriddy.com; a cool place to visit!
“When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,
and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”
Erma Louise Bombeck
I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell wasn’t born to be mediocre! I wasn’t born to be average either.
Average might be normal – I get that. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s not for me and it shouldn’t be for you!
When you daydream, do you see yourself as an average Joe or Jane or as being grander than life? I’m presuming the latter – as unrealistic as it may sound.
I realize that as humans, we can’t be excellent every day; it’s impossible and we shouldn’t be expected to be. There are days when we’re even less than average; it’s simply unavoidable, like a force of nature. Heck, I’ve been less than average more times than I care to count. We also know that trying to please everyone is a journey that’s doomed from the start. Any blogger can tell you that much and anyone breathing will confirm.
We often get so wrapped up in trying to make someone else (or even everyone) happy that we forget about ourselves. The fact is – you can’t always go out of your way for the people that come and go in your life. You can try, but there’ll come a point when you realize that YOU matter just as much if not more – and that it’s time for you to take a step back and be selfish. Sometimes, you just need to think about yourself first.
Life is full of choices and it’s what we make of them that define us. We may not always choose the circumstances, but it’s we alone that determine the quality. And in doing so, we can choose NOT to settle.
How many of you have settled for a deal that’s not quite right? Or for a job that doesn’t allow you to grow or maximize your potential as a person and a professional?
How many of you have settled for a relationship that brings you more pain and sorrow than it does joy? Or for friends that put you down instead of reinforce you?
I know I’ve settled for one or more of these things before.
Somewhere along the way we settle because we think it’s the only choice we have. Believe me, it’s not! Being mediocre may seem like a safe place at first, where things can’t get any worse. But what it also means is that they won’t get any better.
The only way to become mediocre is one step at a time – through the choices we make each day. And when you settle for it once, it will be a lot easier to do it again. Eventually, you’ll have accepted a mediocre life.
Can you honestly say that you’d be content living a life as such? I didn’t think so and neither can I.
When you know deep down that something isn’t right, don’t allow yourself to believe that it is or that it’s all you deserve. The kind of life you want is in your hands and it’s only until you realize your worth that you can stomp the shit out of mediocrity and make way for the life you duly deserve.
photo credit: Griddy