Mediocrity is one of those things that can be self-diagnosed. Being able to self-diagnose yourself as mediocre is a privilege that should be exercised by everybody. It says several things about you:
- You have aligned yourself with measurable goals or outcomes
- You are mature enough to assess an unbiased measurement of your output
- You know exactly where you need to improve and you are more likely to do it
Align With Measurable Goals and Outcomes
At the end of every year, I would review my goals for the current year and set new goals for the next year. I would often write things like “become healthier” or “cut debt”. I would get to the end of the year only to find that I failed to meet many of my goals.
The problem with those goals is that they are difficult to measure. The first thing is to define my health goals in a quantifiable way. By quantifying your goals, it makes them measurable. I could set a goal like “maintain a blood pressure of 120/80 or below”. With regular check-ins, I can monitor what is working as I make lifestyle changes to meet my goal. I also have a level of observability that allows me to detect when I am off track with my goals.
Many areas of life can be measured. The most important part about measuring life’s output is identifying key metrics that allow you to establish a qualitative expression. For example, a blood pressure of 120/80 mm Hg or lower is considered “Healthy”. You can not declare a qualitative measurement over yourself without defining your goal and establishing key metrics for measurement.
Everything is on a spectrum. If you do not have more money than each individual in the world then you can not say you are the richest. An athlete can not claim G.O.A.T if they can’t surpass the stats established by the previous G.O.A.T. You may not be the riches or the G.O.A.T of any particular profession, but when you set measurable goals that are meant to help you grow you are unlikely to blindly become mediocre.
Find out where you are on the spectrum of greatness and set your quantifiable goals to align with being above the mediocre mark.
Assess Output
In many cases, you will set quantifiable goals and still manage to have mediocre outcomes. I’ve learned that you can’t set and forget your goals. This was me and I would find that most of my goals would always be only partially complete. There are some very important questions you should ask when you experience this type of failure:
- Who is responsible for my failure?
- How can they be held accountable?
Most of the time you will be responsible for your own goals and outcomes, but in some cases, you might not be. For example, if your goal is to grow your investment account and you hire a financial manager, you are not solely responsible for reaching that goal. Although you aren’t directly responsible you still need to play an active role in reaching your goal. You need to hold your financial manager accountable.
Regularly measuring output is the best way, and arguably the only way, to hold a responsible party accountable for above-mediocre outcomes. Regularly measuring output empowers growth-driven decisions and conversations for you and/or your responsible party.
Let’s be real, most of us are managing our health, wealth, and life goals. You are the responsible party and you have to hold you accountable. This is where most people fail. The easiest way to grow out of this stage of failure is by looking at the numbers. Know where you stand, write out the impacts of staying where you are, and figure out what is required to improve your output.
You should know when you are poor, how it impacts your life, and how to increase your income in a measurable way. You should know when you are unhealthy, how it impacts your life, and how to improve your health in a measurable way. You should know when you suck, how it impacts your life, and how you can fix you in a measurable way.
Know Where to Improve
Nothing is worse than being the last person to know that you suck. Imagine being fired from a job that you loved. When you later inquire about why things didn’t work out, you find out it was because of something that you could have easily fixed. Should you be upset with them for not telling you or be upset with yourself for not asking for feedback? This is a tough one, but ultimately you are responsible for determining if you suck.
You can invite people to help you with this part by always being open to criticism, having collaborative energy about where and why you need to grow, and in some cases share your goals. Don’t expect everyone to provide valuable feedback. My wife would say, “Eat the meat and spit out the bones”. There is something rewarding in every growth-driven conversation. In my opinion, these conversations should be with those who know you and whom you trust. Seeking validation from people who don’t know you can put a negative and fleeting aura around your reason for growth.
Knowing is the first step to resolution. Embracing feedback and collaboration accelerates personal development, leading to tangible improvements in health, wealth, and overall well-being. Knowing one’s position on the spectrum of success, setting measurable goals, and diligently monitoring progress are the keys to transcending mediocrity and achieving excellence.
Leave a Reply