Ok, so I think everyone agrees that mediocrity isn’t cool. It’s mundane, boring, sameness, routine. I have come to the realization that accepting the current reality is the worst kind of mediocrity there is. Why would we ever be okay with things as they are right now in our life? And, I am not speaking about the current reality of our political climate, social injustices, or environmental unrest. No, I am talking about our apathy in the personal now. The limits we place on ourselves by going through the motions, saying the same lines, holding onto the same, just for the sake of maintaining the similar outcomes. It’s the easy way to do life, and requires no new learning. AND I AM GUILTY OF THIS!

Sometimes, we need a shake up, a wake up, a nudge (or a push!) towards passion, energy, excitement, and CHANGE. Scary…that one word. And everyone is afraid of it to some extent. There are just people who have built in strategies which help them embrace the change, to go with it and learn in the midst of it. The ones who haven’t, have accepted mediocrity. They’ve been allowed to accept mediocrity. The people we love, the people we connect with (friends, colleagues, peers, teammates), we’ve allowed them to accept the mediocrity in their lives.

Here’s how I know…when we talk to each other, what is the first question we ask? “How are you?” Right? Well, what is the expected routine response? “I’m fine, how are you?” Yep. It’s routine and it’s mundane and it opens a conversation, but it limits our depth. What if we opened with, “What amazing thing are you thinking about today?” or “What made you get excited today?” or even “What did you wish happened today? I wonder what people would do if those were the daily unexpected questions we all presented to each other? How much more would we become engaged with each other? How much more would we encourage each other to find our passions and use them daily? Can you imagine it?

I do. I constantly wonder what a business, school, or church could do if the depth of engagement was less about the routine and more about the authentic passions and energy we all have (if we let it shine). I’ve seen it only in the individual realm, or in teams I’ve worked with. A peer of mine loves photography, but only ever “played” on the weekends. It wasn’t until a group of us asked her about her photos and she began showing them, that she began to get more serious and while it’s still a hobby, she talks about it. AND when she does, she shines!

Authenticity wipes mediocrity away. When we can place a little bit of who we are into the work we do and/or the change that we fear, we become more engaged. We become more excited. We begin to open our minds to the possibilities. We step more lively away from mediocrity.

I guess what I am saying is this: What have you become robot like in your life? What if you do it different? What if you don’t?

I, for one, am going to try it a little different. When I write those doctoral papers, instead of writing them as regurgitation of learning, I will fully engage in the work to ensure my professors know that I learned the content, AND that I have embraced the learning by showing application into my life. It will take more time, more effort, but it’s REAL. It’s Connected. It’s Authentic. If I don’t, it’s just mediocrity.

#shineon

-Carrie