Mediocrity, possibility of being a NEW NORM

Life averages out everything!

Today it is all about marketing that compels us to compare between two products / services and at times two individuals and there is this constant nudge to pick ‘seemingly the best’ amongst the given options.

This fierce competition often elucidates a simmering bankruptcy of personal ethics, values, and conventional wisdom, all being bedrock of long-term relevance, sustenance, and success.

Listening to Sociolinguist Crispin Thurlow in his TED talk made me reflect on the notion of accepting mediocrity as the new norm as it drives home a very sensible point that by the simple law of averages, most of us live a life more ordinary than one otherwise thinks. Crispin very aptly conveys that in reality not everyone can be a top student or be a winner or be the best leader all the time. Our life averages out the crests and troughs and life’s success curve can at best be a slight curvy line with minor blips.

Mediocrity is essentially implying being in the middle of two extremes. It essentially indicates being ‘balanced’!

Alain de Botton in his book Status Anxiety shares:

• Unknowingly many of us are affected by status anxiety that arises from our constant worry about either FOMO or not being good enough or needing to be someone else or to have something better.
• Anxiety can be a great motivator, but it can also be an overwhelming negative force when left unchecked.

Leading a mediocre / ordinary life is in no way synonymous with boring or uneventful life, neither mediocrity is a compromise to excellence and success.

There are innumerable distractions around us that constantly bombard us to relentlessly push ourselves beyond our boundaries to become exceptional in all our pursuits. Hence, we are like that rat that is constantly running on a spinning wheel and as the speed increases, we increase our momentum only to run out of energy and at times perish!

Rapidly people around the world are awakening to the living their life holistically and protecting themselves from this pursuit of being the constant topper.

The pursuit of happiness & personal satisfaction (of just trying a few things) is slowly taking over the pursuit of constant chase and this is such a welcome change!

Recently, I was introduced to a new term – JOMO (Joy of missing out ??!)

Try integrating JOMO! It is truly liberating!