Falling into Mediocrity
By Stephanie A. Parson, Ph.D.
Most people who begin new jobs or entrepreneurial ventures are wishing and hoping for success — starting out with good intentions, full of energy, optimism and know how. In fact they are brimming over with optimism. And yet these dreams do not always materialize because deep down inside the most important element is missing – their own belief that they are allowed to think big, dream big, and achieve big. A strong conviction of belief is the foundational element and driving force behind every successful person. It is the unshakable faith that the achievement of something big is possible that spurred our greatest accomplishments.
In fear, the majority of people consciously consign themselves to mediocrity. They come to work and they do their jobs, or at least go through the motions, just to receive a paycheck. They watch others receive promotions and key growth opportunities. They don’t believe they are capable or worthy of achievement in their lives, so they stop thinking big. They don’t bring their energy, passion, desires, creative and innovative ideas to their family, their community or their organization. All because there is something within their thought processes and/or belief system that prevents them from thinking big.
Don’t fall into that rut. Change that attitude by training your mind to focus on the positive. Eliminate failure from your vocabulary. It’s a terribly negative word.
The virtue of thinking big develops only with practice, and the first step toward practice is to understand the features of good thinking: humility, courage, empathy, integrity, perseverance, the ability to reason, autonomy and fair mindedness. Humility means you are free from arrogance and prejudice. Courage means that you are brave enough to change your mind when other ideas are superior to yours. Empathy enables you to see things from another point of view. Integrity simply means demonstrating consistency between your words and actions. Failure to persevere is fatal to thinking big– perseverance requires working through the layers of life’s complexity to find the truth. Your ability to reason means that you are not guided by blind assumptions, tradition, or emotional impulses. Autonomy means that you can have an independent thought. And fair mindedness simply means that you can equally respect all points of view whether you agree with them or not.
Don’t be afraid to have great aspirations. Big dreams occupy the same space in your head as small dreams. So begin thinking big now!
Dr. Stephanie Parson is the president of Crowned Grace International. She is a Business Strategist, Executive Coach, Author and Speaker.
