Let's be honest, absolutely honest - how many of us are high achievers? We may feel good about ourselves, we may even say to ourselves that we have done well, we may have done well actually - but, how many of us are high achievers? Almost everyone I know if a mid-level achiever...and that's not a bad thing! It is us - the middle class of professional world that keeps things rolling.
In not accepting our mediocrity, we create a few problems for ourselves. We, mediocres-lying-to-ourselves-people believe in our individual greatness if not brilliance, without realising how loaded and relative this 'greatness' is. We may be good in our eyes, in eyes of our peers...we may actually also be better than most people we work with, but nothing of this makes us high achievers. Friends...wake up and smell the coffee!
In recent few months, I have been churning this idea inside my head and I think I have come to accept my mediocrity. I am not ashamed of it...why should I be? I at least now know a bit more about myself...have stronger understanding of my current assets & faculties.
The question I have been debating and churning inside my head is simply this: "why being a mediocre is looked down upon?". Today, I have understood that the answer is more societal than anything else - we belong to the famous / infamous middle class of India. In our families, each generation has outdone the previous generation - but still we belong to the middle class. Our generation has definitely moved up, something that prompted coining of terms like - 'upper-middle-class' / 'upper-upper-middle-class'.
Glass ceiling of upper-class hasn't been breached by many - who managed to grow out and actually become members of the upper class.
If everyone was just as good, everyone was a visionary and a trend setter - would there be any value left in being one? In my view, these are the type of people who can be termed as high-achievers - but none of them could have reached the summits and saw their visions-about-future come true, without tireless working of the upper-upper-mediocre-class & upper-mediocre-class.
It is this middle class chip on our shoulders that makes us believe (to our core) that being mediocre is equal to being a failure. We somehow equate mediocrity with lack of substance, lack of ambition and lack of brilliance-in-parts. When in actuality, this view is nothing close to truth. We mediocre-class are the people this world thrives on...it is our ambition & hard work that provides wings to dreams of dreamers...it is our ability that allows visionaries' visions to come true. We just need to accept who and what we are and then enjoy the ride from there on.
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