Mediocrity is a form of madness, a dream embraced by the
masses because it makes just getting by an acceptable —
sometimes applauded — social art form.” ~Guy Finley
So, I love this quote. Love, love, love it. This is what we are
escaping, when we’re escaping the wannabees: mediocrity.
The madness of accepting “just getting by” because so many
around us do. We’re all guilty of it, to greater and lesser degrees.
I think we shake ourselves out of banality only when 1) doing
so is somewhat easy for us; it’s an area we don’t resist too
strongly (like giving up chocolate for Lent), or 2) when it has
finally pushed us to a pain we can’t bear any longer. However,
that leaves us wallowing in (and comfortable in) mediocrity
if we’re somewhere in-between: not willing to leap into foreign
territory (giving up sex for Lent), but not yet burning in the fire
of our desperation. For most of us, this is in-between is our every
day.
And the consequence? Here’s another quote I love, shared by
David Hepburn, Jr. today on Facebook, “The place you want is
currently occupied by what you have settled for.” Virtually every
day, we’re giving up what we want, to allow what we’ve settled
for. That is insanity!
In business, this means that we’re willing to “leave the hive,”
Escape the Wannabees, only when doing so isn’t too risky—the
price of outsourcing is reasonable—or when we’re on the cusp
of bankruptcy. If something costs a bit too much for our comfort,
or failures aren’t too painful, we deepen the grooves of the hole
we’ve burrowed in and slip deeper into “mediocrity madness.”
I regularly plant explosives beneath the burrow of my clients,
catapulting them into new realms that terrify them. And I take
great pleasure in doing so! Some blame me, at the start, for
the immediate dishevelment of their burrow; it truly is a work
of art for them, no matter how undistinguished. Others applaud
the freedom! I’ve noticed, over the years, that the former type
slink back to their old ways when we’re done; the latter keeps
climbing to higher ground.
I am currently teaching a new course, Creating a Transform-
ational Signature Program, and on the call yesterday, one of
the participants said, “Wow, I just don’t think this way,” when
I was teaching them my proprietary “Transformational Arc”—
how to provide a paradigm shift for every audience they engage
with. It was totally new territory for her—and for all of them;
this is revolutionary stuff—but for her, “leaving the hive” this
way, where she has to get her audiences to feel, in order to
transform, thus breaking her away from the majority of
speakers and teachers who don’t know how to do this (and
are afraid to)—this was momentarily unsettling for her.
I also have them going out on a limb in this class, excavating
and crafting their “Meta Message”—an inspirational message
with a universal truth, that will inform the content of their
signature program; will be woven into the personal story they
tell when they deliver their program or a keynote speech; and
that they will infuse into their marketing. This is exhilarating
for all of my clients—they see that they are creating their
business to align with their deepest inspirational belief—and
they’re going to attract like-minded clients with this extremely
powerful message. But it’s not being done out there, so they
have to move out of their comfort zones to dare to lead with
this bold kind of message, vs. the typical marketing messages.
They have to leave what they’ve settled for in order to lead
others with this message of change.
I’m inviting them to step into their role as an “inspired leader,”
and there is nothing mediocre about going there, so–just as with
all of us who have pushed off what we’re called to do and want
to do because “settling” is so much easier—my clients hover
around the hive for a while before finally escaping it. But then,
they transform and end the madness. At least in that area.
I suppose as long as we live, there will be some “acceptance of
mediocrity” to uncover within ourselves…yes? Or no! What do you think?
