“Make Moves”
“There’s too much mediocrity in this country, too much. You got to excel, because excellence reaps rewards.”
“Lejem” ~ Shirley Chisholm
Quote source: Shirley Chisholm: Advice to young African Americans (visionary project) (Youtube published date 4/27/10)
Stock photo source: people.com
Have you ever heard anyone say that they aspire to just be average?! Hopefully not! One of my favorite shows of all time is The Cosby Show. Growing up I would tune in each week to see what the Huxtable's were up to. One episode that resonates in my heart to this day is the episode where Theo and Cliff were having a conversation about Theo's future. Theo, a high school student at the time, explained to his father that he had made the choice to not go to college and was ok with the idea of just being average after receiving a bad grade on an assignment. Cliff used the game of Monopoly as a tool to illustrate the effects of settling for an average mindset. At the end of Cliffs lesson, Theo was left with no money, no real goals to aspire to, and a better understanding of what being just ok would really mean. Now while not going to college is by no means an indication that someone is just average and while money is definitely not an end all-be all of being successful, Cliffs example certainly made us think a little deeper about what we really wanted for our lives and how we have the choice to lead a life extraordinaire.
Mediocrity is a dangerous practice that creeps up when we become complacent in our current situation. I get it! It's safe and familiar in our comfort zones, however if we don't aspire for more we will find ourselves living and operating in a way that prohibits us from reaching our full potential. We will consistently miss the mark while passing up opportunities to become better and walk fully in our purpose. Mediocrity is a form of laziness and procrastination. These two destructive characteristics are the perfect set up for dissatisfaction to dwell in our lives. If we are lazy and procrastinate, before we know it, days become weeks that become months that become years that become our life. If we allow it, we will have the unfortunate task of looking back on the opportunities that we didn't cease wishing that we had with regret because we didn't take full advantage of the awesome chances and occasions that we chose to ignore.
Making the choice to be mediocre is like making the choice not to grow and if we are not careful we can become stagnant which only leads to unhappiness. We are all responsible for our own happiness. So how do we prevent ourselves from falling prey to a complacent way of life. Well, the good news is that it's all in our choices. Make the choice to dream!! Make the choice to think big, even dare to make the choice to be confident in taking risks. No one gets anywhere by staying in the same spot, so make the choice to step out of the comfort zone that we are so accustomed to and be willing to move into unfamiliar territory welcoming the new experiences and possibilities that it brings. We can change our mindset from having a "settling" spirit to having an "I can always strive for better”disposition." When we truly understand everything that's at stake when we carry out a mediocre life we will then respect and be grateful for the opportunities that come our way to assist us in becoming all that we are supposed to be.
Please believe that if you don't like where you are in your life you always have the choice to make a move in the direction that you want to go and grow. Like the late, great First President of South Africa,Nelson Mandela once said, "There is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living". So I ask, how are we really living?!