America’s Epidemic: Mediocrity
America’s epidemic is mediocrity. This may not sound like an epidemic compared to obesity, drugs, poverty, and education, but it effects more people than all of those issues combined. Mediocrity is like gaining weight: you do not go to bed one night weighing 150 lbs and wake up an obese 275 lbs. That’s not it, at all. You gain a pound here and there, and it grows over time until you look in the mirror one day in disbelief. America’s epidemic of mediocrity is playing out the same way for people, companies and the country. When does this indoctrination into mediocrity begin? How do I know if I am part of the mediocrity epidemic? Is there a cure for America’s epidemic?
The indoctrination into mediocrity begins at a very young age. It starts when you have a dream about doing something: like becoming an artist, a firefighter, an astronaut, or the first person to accomplish what has never been done, or thought of, before, and you are told “You can’t do that.” Being told this is the first pill of many that others will force you to swallow to keep you from chasing your dreams and pursuing your passions. You will hear this from family and teachers in the first 18 years of your life, and as you get older you will hear it from your co-workers and managers. Those people do not want you to follow your passion because they are too afraid to follow their own dreams. They say things like “that doesn’t work,” and “the market is too saturated,” or even “you don’t have the skills,” along with many other things to discourage you. People that have already been indoctrinated into mediocrity are saying this to make themselves feel better. If they had not swallowed the pills of mediocrity and followed their passion, the advice given would be the complete opposite.
Am I part of the mediocrity epidemic? You can tell if you are part of the epidemic by the language that you use. Your language is the window into your mindset, and that is how to tell if you have been infected. Do you talk about how lucky successful people are? Do you think that a person of great wealth had to disparage others to get where they are — using phrases such as: good for you, I will have to do more research, maybe someday, I doubt it; and words like can’t, shouldn’t, maybe and hopefully? All these show that you have been infected. The speech of this epidemic is always that of ambiguity. The infected do this to make sure they feel good about themselves by never committing to a no or a yes.
You can also tell if you are infected by how much you are numbing your brain. Watching the news, gossiping about a co-workers promotion and always talking about things you can’t control are just a few brain-numbing activities you, as a part of the epidemic, do on a daily basis. You begin to coast and lose all drive. Phrases like “I am glad its hump-day,” and “Thank God it’s Friday,” become all too common. As you grow in years, giving up gets easier to do — even to the point where trying anything new is a pain that you avoid at all costs. You live in your comfort zone that you have built like a fortress ready to defend.
Is there a cure for America’s Epidemic? I will answer this in two parts: the first part from a personal perspective, and the second from a global aspect. From a personal perspective, I do believe you can rise above the epidemic of mediocrity. Recognition is the first part of realization. Once you know you are part of the epidemic you can start to change. My advice is to find your passion. There are several books you can read on the subject, and you can scour the internet for videos, blogs, tweets, and many other things that can help you. I always like to ask people a simple question to start them down the path, “If you woke up tomorrow and could do anything, what would it be?” This question, though simple, is deceptively difficult. I also recommend that after you decide your life’s new path, to find a mentor. This will help keep you on track. You will start to see your thoughts change, and, in turn, your language will evolve, and so will your social circle. This transformation will take time: just as crabs in a bucket pull down the one crab that tries to crawl out, so too will mediocre people try to pull you back down.
From a macro perspective: will America’s epidemic of mediocrity ever be cured? The short answer is yes, but slowly. The reason I say yes is because access to information is opening up at an alarming rate. We are past the information age, and have entered the instant information age. With no money at all you can access tools to help you follow your passion. You can learn about, and become, an expert in something that you are passionate about faster, and more economically, in the last 15 years, compared to the previous 150. The issue with having unprecedented access is that many people think they can bypass learning and gaining experience. Many people feel they are more entitled now than in past years. Watching the news and listening to people talk about things that they have no intention of helping to change makes our mindset of mediocrity, as a group, slow to change.
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