Mediocrity

"How many times a day do you bargain with yourself to avoid the maximum effort? How often have you compromised somewhere between maximum potential and minimum daily requirements? That is just human nature you may say but beware of lurking danger! For it does not take long for the minimum to become the maximum that you are willing to do. When the minimum becomes the maximum, the sum of your life becomes mediocrity. That is the way people for countless generations have lost a great portion of that character called "excellence". All too often, we are willing to settle for a "comfort zone of mediocrity"caused by a diet of minimum effort, minimum risk, and minimum accomplishment in life."

A friend pointed out something to me about this quote, and it made me think...How do we define mediocrity? Or, perhaps a better question would be, how do we define excellence? Is it the number of things we get done? Is it how many people are impressed with our life? Is it the number of friends we have? Is it how many times we get everything checked off of our "to do" list? Is it that we do things just a certain way, the "perfect" way? To use an example from Max Lucado's dear Wemmicks in "You are Mine", is it the number and quality of the "boxes" and "balls" we own? Is that the excellence we are striving for?I submit that there is a different definition of excellence, at least one that I find true in my life. To me, mediocrity is being aware of something (be it a problem, a person, a need), having the time and resources to deal with it, and not caring enough to do it. It's not that I have so many things that I want to do and don't have the time to do them all. It's not that there is a certain way I would like to do something and yet lack the time, resources, or ability to do it that way. This, to me, is not mediocrity.And, on the flip side, "excellence" is being a good listener, taking time for good people, sitting and snuggling with a needy child, walking next door and talking to the neighbor (while your dinner is burning in the oven :)...). Excellence is showing others how to love and be loved, how to serve and be served...excellence is a frame of mind. Excellence is being uniquely "you" and trying your best to do what you can to make the world a better place, one small thing at a time. It reminds me of the poem...my favorite...posted on this blog as quoted by Mother Theresa.