“Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.”–Orison Swett Marden
Today is one of those days when I woke up feeling a bit tired of being on the successful side of mediocre. We all have days like this. These are days when we feel like we just haven’t accomplished as much as we are meant to accomplish in our life.
There are several ways to approach this feeling. One would be to get down on one’s self and feel unaccomplished. Another would be to say: “Meh. I am doing okay.” and keep chugging along, staying the course. The best approach is to make new efforts in the direction of extraordinary.
I don’t like being on the successful side of mediocre. This is just north of average and not far from the losing side of mediocre. It is true that I can say I am successful, but to be just this side of mediocre is a statement that “I have worked just hard enough and took advantage of just enough opportunity to stay ahead of the next guy.” This is not acceptable. I want to make a mark and add significant value to the lives I touch.
Days like today are days that call for making a little more effort. These are the days to set the mark just a little higher—just a bit more aggressively than days past. These are the days to reevaluate one’s goals and step up ambition.
I can’t accept being just a bit more successful than the mean—the average. I can’t accept not being extraordinary. I can’t sell “be your best today; be better tomorrow” and settle for a passing grade in life. No, I want to be the person who disrupts the grading curve. I want to do more than I have previously imagined.
Having those mornings of feeling on the successful side of mediocre wake up one’s ambitions. This should be the spark that ignites us.
Carpe momento!