Mediocrity

The acceptance of mediocrity, a befuddling reality

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Oh, Friend, I’m frustrated with you. I’ve been watching you for awhile now, wondering if I should take the time to say something or not. However, I care about you and don’t want to see you accept just being okay. You were made for bigger and better things than what you are currently settling for. Friend, you are only putting forth the scarcest of efforts. I want to see you work hard and put a concerted effort towards the things that you do!

Excellence is what I expect from you. It is unclear to me when it became acceptable to commend mediocrity, or give accolades to people who refuse to live up to their full potential. I won’t do it because I care about you, friend, and as soon as the expectation is raised to only settle for greatness you will — I believe — rise to that challenge to be the best version of yourself. This is our responsibility to one another you see, to always be honing and bettering ourselves, and helping others to do the same.

Don’t make excuses for not doing, or being, your best. This by no means places an expectation on you to be perfect, for that is an unrealistic expectation. Merely strive to be the best of who you are, fully and completely. This doesn’t mean that there will not be times that you fall short, or fail. However, I am tired of watching you not even make an honest attempt, but merely flap you arms about in a half-hearted ‘effort’.

Perhaps, the idea of failure is so scary, that it has caused paralysis and prevented this honest effort. For, if there is a lack of effort we can save face in the knowledge that we weren’t really trying, our pride will remain intact. I can certainly think of times where fear paralyzed me from taking risks or led me to fall into what was considered ‘safe’ and ‘comfortable’. However, this is when an extra push should be expected. Don’t commend my failure due to fear, please – friend – encourage me of what it is possible for me to do. Can we do this for one another?

No one should be satisfied with being so-so, with just living an existence and not a life of experiences. Every day we are surrounded by people who live their lives going through the motions, sleep walking, and missing out on the experiences that make our lives meaningful. I would hope that when my head starts to bob dangerously towards sleeping awake that you will shake me back to reality and the life that I should be leading.

Let’s not just aimlessly drift through the world. We were meant to be more than zombies, more than clock punchers and window gazers. We are meant to live a life punctuated by memories and shared experiences. Friend, let’s push and pull and stretch one another into, not only the best version of ourselves, but the version of ourselves that we never thought we could be.

Always,

Your Trusted Friend ♥