Negativity Breeds Mediocrity

Negativity isn’t a new concept to me even though I’m a sold-out optimist. By nature, being a sanguine dispose me a huge share of sheer joy and enthusiasm – an almost constant positive outlook and most especially disposition towards my life’s journey, the successes I achieve and the dreams I have. I have only one goal as I write this: that you would see the root cause of the mediocrity you have observed as a frequent trademark of your life and career.

Now, I am not a life coach or an emotional intelligence expert; the points I’m making in this article is from personal experiences, deep reflections and studies of some people I know.

I was a mediocre for so long that I even revamped what it meant to be a mediocre. I was a busy mediocre. I was working tirelessly but was left with many incomplete and haphazardly done jobs. The sad part was no one around knew how to help because they saw how busy I was and how hard I worked. They weren’t privy to my thoughts – the thoughts that swirled around my mind daily ‘This life isn’t good to me. This life hasn’t dealt me good hands. I don’t think there’s much ahead of me’ and this reflected in my output.

Negativity is more than talking yourself down or using the negative euphemisms in your head voice or speech, it isn’t about the can’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t and don’t; negativity is also limiting yourself, your aspirations, dreams, desires and wants to a particular gauge because you think that should be enough for someone like you.

What I mean is that mediocrity stems from a deeply rooted negativity. You’ve told yourself time and time again how you can’t go further, how you shouldn’t try further, shouldn’t pool in your resources just a little bit more into what you do and this has now built a strong network of mediocrity. So, you don’t bother and you have become complacent because trying than the usual limit isn’t for you.

It has affected your relationships, slowed down the momentum at which you learn, drowned your work portfolio in averages and I hope this wake-up call really rings in your head over and over again. It has affect your decision making abilities and how you resolve conflicts.

Your work doesn’t have an expression of an extra-mile effort, all they give off is ‘I can’t kill myself oh’ and it’s sickening to everyone around you. You have been at the same level since you joined the company and you aren’t even thinking of more because you think you don’t deserve more.

The incessant conversations you have within yourself about how you shouldn’t dare to dream or how things are just perfect now make you think where you are and how you are fairly faring is enough and that is the beginning of mediocrity.

So, how exactly does negativity and mediocrity mix into such a holistic blend?

Negativity is in the mindset and mediocrity is ingrained in the methodology.

Let me break things down: Your mind goes ‘I am not meant for that role’’ and two thoughts down that spiral, you carry out the job haphazardly because there’s someone who’s better - who’s the perfect fit, who would come supervise and straighten things out’

Your mind goes 'I can’t learn this additional skill to make myself a better writer in this modern world’ and eventually you write without a sense of purpose, direction and grit to lead a conversation with your piece’

I can go on and on with the examples of how they are linked.

The bottom line is this; you observing that you’ve been a mediocre on some fronts and in some aspect of your life isn’t a standalone feeling. Mediocrity is rooted in negativity. Your mind can’t dare to think well of yourself and so your hands wouldn’t dare to do well.

Show me any negative person with a stellar record at work or at home. Just one. You can’t be negative and excellent at the same time; those attributes are on the different edges of the spectrum.

While you think about changing your nonchalance toward your life, dreams and aspirations; think deeply about how you need to start having positive conversations within yourself.