…today’s secret…Defeat mediocrity.

Mediocrity sucks.

It’s everywhere.

In the workplace it’s apathy, complacency, and indifference. It’s bland, boring, and beige. It’s going with the flow on a road that leads nowhere.

Mediocrity is unhappy people spraying unhappiness all over your workplace. A whine. A complaint. A rant. They stay in the box because it’s safe there. They’re at the end of a string that someone else pulls.

Yeah, you get it.

You may be in a sea of mediocrity, but you don’t have to be mediocre.

To defeat mediocrity think about…

…doing your job as though you yourself ran your organization.
…helping others because it’s the right thing to do.
…tackling jobs no one else wants.
…not worrying about who gets credit or blame.
…being enthusiastic.
…being dependable.
…being uncommon.

Yep. I know. Lots of clichés here.

But, add these questions to the above clichés…

Are you willing…

…to come out of the box?
…to risk embarrassment?
…to have a financial loss?
…to fail at something big?
…to damage your reputation?

If so, know that few things turn out as well as you hope or as badly as you fear.

If so, know that small mistakes teach us a little. Big mistakes teach us a lot. Nothing gets learned from mediocrity.

If so, know that failure is never a waste of time. Mediocrity always is. The fear of failure is what keeps you average. Success is the result of taking chances.

If none of this interests you, no problem. Carry on. As you were.