The dictionary defines “mediocre” like this: “of ordinary or moderate quality; neither good or bad; barely adequate.”
Man, just typing that is tough. There used to be a time when you might be able to maintain mediocrity and achieve some degree of success. You could simply float along, do the minimum (“barely adequate”) and you could get by.
But today there’s no way you could pull that off. When you settle for mediocrity, you are in a race to the bottom of the pile. We don’t start out with a desire for mediocrity. Kids love to stand out and be noticed. But after years in school or on the job (or even in a very religious church), we’ve learned. Stay in line. Don’t act up. Be quiet. Keep your head down. Don’t cause a ruckus. Keep your opinions to yourself.
Eventually, we just fold up and commit ourselves to the gray. Neither black or white. Not too good. Not too bad. Keyword: Moderate. Don’t do anything to cause attention to yourself. Fit in.
But that’s no way to succeed. Why would you want to look back over your life and think, “Yeah, mediocrity! That’s what my life was about!”
Think about it. Define success anyway you want to and think of the successful people you’ve known or known about. The successful professionals, inventors, preachers, artists, entertainers, athletes, scientists, teachers. Were they mediocre? Did they succeed because they made the decision to blend in and be like everyone else? Were they ordinary or barely adequate?
No way.
And yet, you and I make little decisions every day that cause us to blend in and keep us tepid. We’re scared to stand out and so we hide in the shadows. We make choices not to be noticed. We don’t try. We don’t take the adventurous step.
But don’t you know…you weren’t born to be average. You weren’t created for mediocrity!
God made you for so much more! That’s why he hates it when you don’t use the gifts He gave you!
Stop the race to the bottom. Stop being content to be like everyone else. If you really want to make a difference, if you really want to stand out, you’re going to have to cause a ruckus!
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