The canker of mediocrity

In a fast-changing world where anything goes, there’s always pressure to get things done because they have to be done! We are result-oriented more than we are quality-oriented. This mediocrity is seen in some products we buy. They promise durability but barely make it past the set time of use. Some students settle for a pass, not because they are unable to excel academically, but because they just want to graduate and be done with anything called ‘school’.

Mediocrity rears its ugly head at the workplace too. With the availability of all the necessary equipment, some employees will still choose to produce substandard service at the slight absence of the supervisor or manager.

A google search of the word, mediocrity, returns the following descriptions; ordinariness, commonplaceness, lack of inspiration, indifference among others. Is it sheer laziness that drives us in settling for anything? What influences a mediocre attitude? Is it that we do not just care about the consequences of our actions?

Whatever our answers to these questions may be, the truth is that the result of a mediocre work is of no durable quality. It is shallow, half-baked and risks surviving. So, shouldn’t there be a cause to change our attitudes for the betterment of society? Imagine how companies will reap profits if its employees and the management are committed to churning out quality in their pursuit of serving customers well? Or how a student can acquire and use the knowledge obtained in order to be an asset outside the classroom?

Unfortunately, we too often settle for just the average. But there is a fruit to be reaped in choosing excellence over mediocrity. In every venture, pursue excellence, no matter how small it is, and watch the ripple effects of its results.

Let this be your hallmark, ‘if it must be done, it must be done well’. Have a wonderful weekend.