Mediocre Friends

“It’s not that mediocrity is bad; rather striving for mediocrity is the fault.”

• Unknown

Mediocrity

Webster’s Dictionary says Mediocrity is; “of moderate or low quality, ordinary, so-so.”

So, what is wrong with being ordinary, moderate, or so-so?

There are some who feel we all need to be just happy with mediocrity.  The world is depicted as a bell curve that begins very thin on the left for the way-below-average group, gets fairly large in the middle for all the mediocre people, and then gets very thin again for all the way-above-average group on the right.

The argument is that the way-above-average group is so small, and your chances of ever making that group are practically negligible, so why try.  Focus on being the best average person you can be, so they say.

That is called nihilism.

Friends and Your Brain

Studies have reinforced the thought that your brain activity changes how you think and molds your innermost thoughts to align with those of the people you closely associate with.

A network within your brain (involving the medial frontal cortex and anterior insula) monitors “errors” in how you are conforming with people around you. It becomes active as soon as you and your crowd disagree on something and initiates your brain’s efforts to try to reduce this disagreement gap.

Even if you have a brilliant, world-changing, innovative streak inside you, you’re at risk of abandoning your entrepreneurial ideas, changing your core beliefs, and surrendering to the attitudes of pessimistic naysayers if you are surrounded by them.

If you are at risk of being only as successful as those friends you surround yourself with, why would you surround yourself with anyone but the best?

Business People and Entrepreneurs

Most business people and entrepreneurs did not get into their business to be just average.  We all started with drive, dreams, and goals.  We plan on being exceptional—of being much further to the right of the bell curve than in the middle.

“If you want to live an exceptional and extraordinary life, you have to give up many of the things that are part of a normal one.”

–Srinivas Rao

Unfortunately, our world caters to mediocre people who want to stay that way.

The social media universe wants everyone to have the same opinion and cheer for the same causes.  Marketers want everyone to buy lots of the same things even though they are packaged differently.  And power brokers want everyone to believe that the same things will fill your greatest needs, although everyone is chasing them, and no one is getting fulfilled.

Exceptional people who don’t want to be mediocre see through the things the world wants.

Not being Mediocre

It is a challenge to not be mediocre. You need to get away from the majority and start thinking for yourself.    To be exceptional, you need to have exceptional friends.  Get rid of your mediocre friends.

The Bible

God doesn’t do average.  Many will find Romans 12:2 a surprising verse in light of not conforming to the masses of the world.

And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

Does that sound like God wants you to be mediocre?

He doesn’t want us to be the way we were; He wants us to be “transformed.”  He wants us to break free of the things the majority want us to be, and He wants us to be the exceptional people He designed us to be.

Be exceptional; don’t’ be mediocre.  Runaway from your mediocre friends and hang out with exceptional people.  And you will quickly discover you’re becoming the person God wants you to be.