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I am a certified over-thinker.
People closest to me tell me I totally overdo it in the thinking-about-things and thinking-about-people departments.
When something simple happens or someone does something simple, I will dissect it piece by piece and transform it into a beast of complexity. I do that for pretty much everything.
But I like it when it brings me insights I would otherwise not have had.
Like the supreme insight that I am a constant tolerator of mediocrity. Yes, I am. And I came to this conclusion from a simple activity I do almost daily.
One day I was just going about my work. Listening to my usual Playlist. A playlist I curated by myself on Accuradio.
Song after song, I would bump my head. You know, in enjoyment. And third song after third song, I would bump my head in annoyance. "Now why the heck is that song part of my Songs-That-I-Love Playlist?" I would ask myself.
The answer? Because I put it there.
It's not that these annoying 'favourite' songs were terrible. And it's not that they wore off on me. I have songs I absolutely love that I could listen to Every. Single. Hour.
These annoying ones were just different. I probably loved them the first time. Probably tolerated them the fourth time. And likely accepted the status quo by the seventh time.
So there I was, listening to songs that didn't exactly move me and I was accepting them in my list of favourites?! Why the hell was I doing this? Why was I accepting mediocrity so easily?
I mean - the songs are not necessarily mediocre. They just mediocre for me and my tastes.
So then I got to wondering. If I was accepting mediocrity in my Favourites' Playlist, how much mediocrity was I accepting in my life?!! Just how much?!!!
Damn! Such a scary thought!
I bet I'm swimming in the mediocrity pool. Dancing in the mediocrity festival.
How many times have I accepted to trap myself with a mediocre book? A mediocre movie? A mediocre series? A mediocre activity? A mediocre piece of clothing? A mediocre outfit? A mediocre friendship? A mediocre relationship?
How many times?
Hmm. I'm guessing, a lot. More than I can count with my fingers. Enough to count with a calculator. Sigh!
So back to my Playlist. I decided to get rid of the mediocrity. I deleted some songs from it and decided to stick with only the best ones.
About the mediocrity in my life? I'm still working on that. Still training my mediocrity filters to get stronger.
Because life is too short to keep settling for not-the-very-best at every turn.
Come to think of it, this reminds me of an amazing concept by one brilliant mind - Derek Sivers. He once said, it's either a "Hell Yeah" or a "No".
There's no room for an in-between.
And that's because in-betweens are a waste of time and resources. Unless they are steps towards a Hell Yeah, no need to waste time on them. Remember that.
So here's to a life of less and less mediocrity. Wish me luck!