It’s Okay to Feel Mediocre
The past few months have been a time of humbling growth. When you try new things, whether a role at work, a new type of project, or a new hobby, you’re (very likely) going to experience a whopping dose of humility.
You’ll likely wonder why you took on that project to begin with and the temptation to bolt is nearly enough to take over. Mediocrity is a sucky feeling most of the time. And yes, that’s my chosen term and I’m sticking with it.
But it doesn’t have to remain a negative experience. Feeling mediocre means you’re growing beyond what you excel at to try new experiences. Feeling like you’re constantly flailing is a part of living an exceptionally creative and experimental life. It’s completely normal to feel like this, but dwelling on it doesn’t help us reach our own beautifully unique potential.
Author Nelson Boswell offers a near-perfect insight into mediocrity: “The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake.” If you let mistakes derail your goals, you’re going to risk living a mediocre life.
Today, mediocrity is often paired with living a so-called “boring” life. That the only way to greatness is by living a life of 30,000 Instagram or Twitter followers and traveling the world. Living a great, “normal” life is possible. And it definitely doesn’t have to be mediocre.
The more concerned we are with how our greatness measures up against the world’s definition, the more likely we are to believe that we’re only capable of mediocrity.
Be concerned with how you approach living your life. If you’re continually learning and growing and being the best you you can be, then you’re not living a mediocre life. It may feel like you’re mediocre at your work because you’re not sticking with what you know, but the act of trying new things releases you from mediocrity and gives you a push into greatness — however you define it.
The way I phrased that made it seem like it’s an easy process. It’s definitely not. It takes persistence, tenacity, and limiting your self-doubt. It’s finding a way through instead of around.
You weren’t born for an easy life, and that’s a good thing. Dig in. Growth is here. And this is how we attain it.
We need to keep why we began as the foundation of our growth. Ah, one of those classic Hannah quotes. Except I can’t take credit; I just don’t remember where I first heard it and I’ve latched onto the message behind it over the past few years.
Living a life free of mediocrity means reminding yourself that you’ve started this for a reason and that whatever your reason is, it’s not time to give up.
Today, I want you to make a list of why you started. A physical list. Don’t just think about it; go through the act of writing each point down. This connection between your brain and your hand can’t be underestimated.
While writing, consider these ideas:
Don’t censor yourself, either. You were created to thrive, and censoring your answers could lead you down an unfulfilling path you weren’t meant to follow. I want you to thrive in your work, and this process can help you get there
A large part of what I do is because I want to help people. Yes, a classic Enneagram Type 2 response. My passion is helping people achieve better through my gifts. Each step of my career, regardless of the actual role, has been grounded in this idea.
I want you to consider your version of this. Once you know, you can begin to make decisions grounded in your “why” and begin debunking those feelings of mediocrity.
As an aside, sometimes it is time to change your goal, and that decision isn’t the same as giving up. Giving up is choosing to end something with great potential because you’re not ready to put in the work or you’re not sure how it will turn out.
Instead, changing your goal means you’ve found something else that brings you joy and a sense of fulfillment and that’s a truly special thing. It’s time to chase it down and make something that matters.
You may still experience times of immense doubt and feelings of mediocrity, but don’t stop. Dig in, commit to personal growth, and you’ll begin to experience the rewards.
When the feelings of mediocrity begin to creep in, it’s time to boost the self-confidence a bit. Rediscovering an activity you excel at is the perfect way to do it. Take an afternoon and get back to writing, drawing, or whatever it is that you’re great at.
This time with an old creative friend is one of the best ways to build that self-confidence so you’re ready to take on another day of personal and professional growth. You’ll soon begin to thrive in this new activity, too. Promise. The only reason we often don’t realize this is because we’re too focused on feeling mediocre and don’t spend enough time realizing how far we’ve come.
It’s okay to tell yourself you’re great at something, too. Too often we decide to play it coy with what we’re good at. When you’re feeling mediocre, though, it’s time to play to your strengths. Tell yourself what you’re good at. Brag to yourself about what you did well this week.
This can be challenging for perfectionists, but I want you to do it anyway. Even if you didn’t do something perfectly (which doesn’t exist, by the way) appreciate how well you did throughout the project. How you stepped out of your comfort zone, applied a new strategy, or made a creative breakthrough.
Yes, I’m going there. Again. During the hardest week of the past few months, I’ve talked with three close friends, all of whom I’ve met in different times of life and are doing different work, and each of them felt the same way I was in that moment.
This is why our community is so essential. Chances are, some in your community are experiencing similar feelings, or they have in the past.
It’s not enough to talk about the hard times in life once they’re over. The better way is to dig into your relationships in the midst of the hard moments and to share your story because others are feeling the exact same way.
While it’s true that we don’t have the same perspective in the moment as we do once we begin to gain hindsight, there’s still power in sharing our experiences in the moment. The raw emotions that come from being unsure of yourself are one of the hardest parts of a career to experience, and you’re not alone.
This week, start the conversation. And when (not if) your community opens up to you, support them in this self-discovery. What we’re doing isn’t easy work, and friends help us achieve better, and push harder, but also remind us to rest and reflect.
There’s a critical piece we need to remember, though. We have to stop the trend of being there in the moment, then disappearing once life goes on. Because chances are, these people are still in that moment.
I’m guilty of this, so I’m not saying this as someone who’s perfect at remembering. Instead of disappearing as quickly as the new news cycle, commit to being there.
Set calendar reminders, text even if they aren’t responding, and even mail a care package with some of their favorite snacks. Add sticky notes to each one with silly notes, inside jokes, and why each piece reminds you of them.
When we surround our community with the support they need in difficult times, we’ll help them begin to recover and reinvent.
Mediocrity isn’t something to fear. It’s something we all encounter in our lives and we’re not weird or negatively unique because of it. What we should fear, though, is being okay with remaining this way. Commit to growth, put in the work, and growth will come.
Remind yourself why you started, get back to something you excel at, and dig into your community. Then get back to work, because something great is coming and you need to be ready.
The best is yet to come.
It’s Okay to Feel Mediocre
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