You're Headed For Mediocrity Without This

I define mediocrity as accepting and working with things the way they are without reasoning, asking questions or attempting improvement.

Mediocrity is being comfortable with the average or even below the average. Mediocrity is, not even feeling bothered with the status quo; not even thinking of planning for improvement in any aspect of life. That is my view of mediocrity.

You see, it bleeds my heart to see how OK and comfortable majority of people are about issues around them; issues that concern their very lives. It’s indeed seriously baffling. Mediocrity is very rampant. There’s a likelihood that you’ll find it around you, even in your very life.

I’ll tell you how fatal mediocrity & mediocre thoughts are to your life. I’ll also give you just ONE single tool that will dissolve all forms of mediocrity found in you.

Before that however, I’ll tell you something you must know. Mediocrity is never something that is judged by physical possessions alone. Nope. It isn’t about what you have or what you don’t have.

Mediocrity is a mindset. It is a way of thinking. It’s a philosophy. Sure enough, mediocre thoughts or mindsets can lead to a mediocre life in all aspects: but the physical, mental or financial manifestations of mediocrity are simply the effects of a mediocre way of thinking. So I’m not interested in the effect. I’m interested in the cause. When the cause is taken care of, the effect dies.

Most things in life follow the same pattern, for example, poverty isn’t about your physical or financial possessions. It’s about your way of thinking. When you deal with the cause of poverty, i.e. mindsets about poverty and riches, your financial status automatically changes with time.

Well, well, well, back to our topic. We now know that mediocrity is about your way of thinking.

Let’s now talk about the solution. You might be well surprised at the simplicity of this one solution. You know what it is? This one solution to mediocrity is AMBITION.

Yeah, you heard me, its ambition. What has ambition got to do with mediocrity? Did you just ask that question? Well, if you did, in the next few moments, you’ll probably be asking a very different question. Perhaps, something like: ‘Why didn’t I know of this a long time ago?’ or ‘How can I start implementing these ideas?’

Now what is Ambition? Is ambition bad? Does it connote greed or anything negative? Well, ambition is a strong desire to achieve something- An unflinching, intense, emotion-rich desire to hit a particular specific target. That is ambition. Does this make some sense?

Ambition is probably the best thing that has ever happened to mankind. If you still don’t think so, can I ask you a simple question? All the inventions that are making life easier and happier today, how did they all come about? What was the motivating factor behind their expression? 

Sure enough, a good number of the inventors have the love of humanity in their hearts and were very hopeful that their inventions will ease work and hardship for the inhabitants of the earth, even long after they’ve gone; but I can beat my chest boldly and tell you, without fear of being mistaken, that not one of them was without ambitions & very strong ambitions at that. For most of them, ambition was their primary drive. They hoped to be popular, wealthy or influential with their inventions.

Quote me any day: No significant creativity, success or wealth has ever been or can ever be realized without great ambition & I’ll of course prove it to you.

DOES AMBITION CHANGE ANYTHING?

It sure does. It changes a whole lot of things. In fact, it changes everything. Are you itching to know how it makes the proposed changes? Well, let’s list them:

 1. Ambition Makes You Think ‘Long Term’                                  

              The average person walks, talks, acts & makes decisions based only on the current situation of things. The average person is myopic and reactive; failing to see beyond the current state of events; failing to take a look and visualize and create a vivid mental picture of the future.

Ambition promotes you above an average person. When you’re ambitious, whatever decisions you take, you take them because the outcome will be favorable to your future- to your desired ambition. You think long term. You talk long term. You act long term. Long term thinking have been found by researchers of success, as one of the most significant factors that makes any form of success realizable.

When you think long term, there are things you’ll not say or do, not necessarily because they pose any immediate threat at the present (in fact, they could even be somewhat ‘beneficial’ at the present), but because you have considered the effects of that very step to your future & realized it’s not worth it or that it will be harmful.

You can easily know if any person will achieve significant success in life, just by the way he/she reacts to day-to-day affairs, whether with a long or short term perspective. You can also know if anyone can achieve significant success in life by the ambitions they have (if they have any at all).

Ambitious people react to issues with a long term perspective while unambitious people react to issues with a short term perspective. To which group do you belong? Ambition, by definition is a future thing, so that naturally makes ambitious people long-term thinkers.

       2.    Ambition Helps You Identify And Use Opportunities

     Success in life is about identifying opportunities & using them effectively; and one singular tool that can put you in the state of identifying and grabbing these opportunities when they present themselves, is ambition.

Ambition makes you find doors of opportunities. It makes you create new doors where previously there were no doors. It makes you create for yourself more opportunities for success and excellence. Where a normal person will give excuses, no matter how cogent, you’ll naturally find a way to breakthrough.

      3. Gradual Change of Character, Habits & Lifestyle                             

The habits and lifestyle of successful people are very different from those who are not. The habits of ambitious people are also very different from those who are not ambitious.

It’s as simple as math (sorry, ABC); you can easily tell if someone has any form of great ambition, simply by the way he or she behaves under some given conditions, the kind of habits he or she has; the kind of friends he/she keeps, etc.

Ambition changes everything in the life of an individual. Gradually, but surely, the person is transformed to something similar to his/her ambitions.

Let me give you an instance: Suppose your ambition is to become a pop musician. What happens? Simple as math too (oh! Sorry ABC): Up to 90% of music in your phone or PC will be pop music, you talk about pop musicians, dress like them, talk like them, act like them, and in no long time, with sufficient determination and discipline, you become a great pop musician.

All these things happen gradually but surely, both consciously and subconsciously; your character habits and lifestyle will correspond to the predominant ambition on your mind. It’s that basic.

So, I’ve given you a big tip. If you see someone who’s thinking, talking and acting as if he’s going to be the next Bill Gates in the nearest future, make him your best pal for he’ll most probably achieve that goal.

Flee from people who have little or no thoughts or speech of great ambitions and achievements. They will drag you to the mud.

Going to the next point, Ambition makes you…

           4.     More and More, A Person of Integrity

Integrity…hmmm, a big word. Any idea what it means? Well, someone defined integrity like this: “Integrity is when what you say, what you do and what you say you do all  match”.

I think it’s a perfect definition. When what you do when it appears no one is watching is of a good report, you’re a person of integrity.

Ambition freely gives you integrity as an added value. You cannot have lofty ambitions and not be a person of integrity. It’s just not possible, except your ambition is to become something untoward.

If you’re ambitious for good and lofty reasons, then you’ll naturally be a person of integrity; without consciously choosing to do so.

Integrity is one of the ultimate characters of great achievers. If a man possesses no integrity, then there’s no hope of significant success for him. It’s that plain. Ambition blesses you with integrity naturally.

                5.     Skill Pursuit & Self Development

Ambition makes you pursue skills and engage in activities that develop you and draw you closer to your source of ambition. Ambition naturally empowers you to acquire these skills easier than someone who possess no such ambition. This is because ambition rewires your emotions and gives you a strong sense of determination and singleness of purpose- prerequisite qualities for success.

You do not relent; you do not stop for anything until your ambition is achieved by whichever means is readily available. It gives you a sense of desperation; intense desperation, and that, I think is why so many seem to condemn ambition and ambitious people thinking that they can do anything, whether good or bad to achieve their goals. 

Yes, ambitious people may indulge in some untoward acts; but only immature and ignorant ambitious people do such.

In some cases, I do not really blame them because real ambition gives one so strong a drive that any available option is OK provided it gets you to the point where you desire.

Well, one last thing ambition does to you is to give you…

                6. A Sense of Laser Focus, Determination & Commitment

Perhaps, I must have mentioned it somehow, but it’s worth a point of its own. One singular quality that will prevent millions from achieving their dreams is a lack of focus and commitment to their goals and dreams.

If you gain nothing else from this article but a motivation to develop a strong sense of laser focus and commitment to your goals irrespective of the outcome you get; till you achieve that goal, then congratulations in advance, for in no long time, you’ll be in possession of your goals, no matter what it is.

The 'guy' Ambition gives you focus and commitment as added values. In fact, one of the easiest ways to develop laser focus and commitment to your goals is to have ambitions. You cannot be truly ambitious and not have a sense of focus and commitment.

When we talk about ambitions, we’re referring to th  type that overcomes you; eats you up till all your thoughts, speech, actions, desires and everything about you falls in tune with the predominant ambition on your mind.

When you have unflinching focus and commitment, irrespective of current events you’re most likely to achieve whatever that’s your heart desire.

Before I end, I’d like to understand something very important. When you possess ambition for something, the ‘how’ to go about it should NEVER bother your mind at all.

Big dreamers seldom think about the ‘how’ initially. The ‘how’ will be discovered later on. If there’s no ‘how’, big dreamers will invent it.

Why limit your potentials by overruling an idea simply because you’re not aware of the ‘how’? Step up, my friend; the ‘how’ comes to you naturally when your ambition and desire is intense enough.

MAKE IT BIG!

Your potentials are practically unlimited. They’re only limited in your own mind. You have the right to aspire to have or to be anything; yes, ANYTHING at all; and you can get there with commensurate commitment and skill.

Nothing is impossible and impossible is nothing. It’s as real as it sounds. Make your Ambitions as big as it can possibly become. Let it be at the very apex of your vocation or whatever it is your heart sets out for.

There’s nothing like an unrealistic ambition. It’s all about the state of your mind, the level of your skills and the strength of your focus, commitment and discipline.

Make sure that several times daily, you make out time to imagine yourself fulfilled in your strongest ambition.

START SOMETHING!

Big dreamers dream big but they start small. One misconception a lot of persons have is that as you dream big or aspire for something outrageous, you start big as well. Not always the case.

In fact, a majority of huge successes started with practically little or nothing.

It’s not where, or how you start that matters, it’s your destination- your end point, that justifies everything. Even if you start in the humblest of ways, maintain your ambition and integrity and have it at the back of your mind that it’ll only be a matter of time and commitment before your breakthrough manifests. So start something TODAY!

That’s it, gentlemen and ladies. Ambition: the perfect antidote to mediocrity.

Before we end finally, however, let’s summarize the points we made:

·  Mediocrity is a mindset which makes an individual accept and work with the status quo without questions, modifications or change.

·   Ambition is the perfect antidote to mediocrity.

·   Ambition makes you think long-term.

·  Ambition ensures a gradual change of character, habits and lifestyle.

·    Ambition makes you a person of integrity.

· Ambition makes you pursue skills and develop necessary to fulfill the ambition.

· Ambition gives you a sense of focus and commitment which are prerequisite for success.

Thanks for reading this blog post on Ambition

See you at the top!