Why am I SO scared of Mediocrity?

Why am I SO scared of Mediocrity?

By : Yasmin Razack - limitlesswomen.ca

More and more I have noticed this phrase popping up around the Internet, “…do not fall into the trap of mediocrity…” It seems to be everywhere…or it seems to be what I am noticing more and more.

As a result the voice in my head screaming, “ YOU ARE BECOMING MEDIOCRE…QUICK DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. NOW!”

Through an intense coaching session I realized that what drives a large percent of my behavior is this top fear of mine that screams I am becoming or “being mediocre.”

Yes.  I realized it is not a small but a HUGE fear of mine.

But want exactly does that mean?

Google gives the following definition:

Mediocrity ~ ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding, averageness, ordinariness, mundaneness, mudanity- the quality of being commonplace and ordinary.

I wonder how there is such a thing as being mediocre…like in comparison to what? For example I find almost everyone in my inner circle EXTRAordinary in some way…but that is because I know who they are. I have history and in someway they have touched my life in extraordinary ways, by virtue of who they are and who they have become to be in my life.

But I am not sure YOU or the ‘average’ person would find the same people I find EXTRAordinary.

And at the moment the two people that fascinate me the most are my children, Kamea (3 yrs. Old) and Khyam ( 18 mos.)

So where does this definition come from and more importantly why does it exist?

And why am I so obsessed with it?

Is there a fire burning inside of all of us to Stand Out? According to researchers like Marcus Buckingham there is a fire inside all of us- but what separates us from those who are and those who are not mediocre?

I absolutely love my job, in every way possible there is to love a job. I feel BLESSED to be working as a Manager of Global Citizenship and Equity Education- it is in fact my DREAM  (9-5) job.

On top of that I have Limitless Women ( side-business) – also a dream I worked super hard at to achieve and it feels fabulous to see it come to fruition.

And last but not least I have an adoring husband with two beautiful children. So this is not about complaining in any way where I am…but it is not where I am, but where I want to go that is the question.

According to Malcolm Gladwell and many other’s it takes you 10, 000 hours of doing something to achieve Mastery- which is what he claims Bill Gates, The Beatles and Steve Jobs did….but there was little if ANY references to women.

At all.

However I did read Shania Twian’s autobiography who claims she did her 10k hours as a young child so she could both help feed her family and her passion...her superstardom came later-at the time she had no kids.

So my question remains. How can you become a Master of anything as woman with a passion for family and motherhood? For women who feel responsible for being responsible and not neglecting their roles as mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, colleague etc….what does becoming ABOVE average look like? Feel like?

Not being mediocre for me will come at a cost. In coaching we call it ‘switching cost’- in other words what would it cost me if I were to FULLY pursue what I wanted to achieve in life ….I would have to give up something or give something LESS attention.

Can’t do that right now.

I would also have to sacrifice a lot of things and/or ask others around me to sacrifice in order for me to pursue this burning desire to address this ‘ becoming mediocre” fear inside of me.

And I know I cannot make that decision now…but what I can do is small decisions along the way that lead me to my goals of being extraordinary.  What is always clear and should always be clear is my purpose in life- why I am here: that is what keeps me feeling okay for the moment. Because I know each day I can live out that purpose in all I do.

Yes there are MANY reasons why we are here, but discovering your LIFE PURPOSE allows you to truly live your life to the fullest daily and address any fears you may have…especially the number one fear in all of us “that you are not enough.“

Do you know your Life Purpose?

Yasmin Razack is a Personal + Professional Life Coach who works with women in transition to unlock their limitless potential in all aspects of life. For more information please visit limitlesswomen.ca or email her at yasmin@limitlesswomen.ca.