The eccentricity in mediocrity
Someone once told me — never to settle for the simple jobs.
We live in an era where there are far too many options to take. Yet, we all at some point hear someone crib about being against the 9–5 job profiles.
Ugh, it is so mediocre. You are worth much more.
People say the path less traversed makes all the difference. That taking unconventional titles may cause many to frown in the short term but will eventually get us to a point of extreme recognition and appreciation.
Yet these quotes have not aged well.
We now live in a world where 7 billion other humans are listening to the same advice. If everyone adopts nomadic lives, who is going to cultivate the crops? Who is going to teach your children the A’s, B’s and C’s? Who will return tomorrow morning to clean your home?
It is a calling only for the selected few by destiny, you might say.
Only a handful of those who receive the advice to follow your passion will actually take it and get somewhere meaningful in life and so the farmer will continue to farm.
In that case, I want you to think: Is it fair to curtail this freedom to those weak in spirit to pursue it?
You see, we are told to not live mediocre lives — that our purpose is beyond the system restrictions in place. Mediocrity breeds a society that does not aspire for something more and such a society shall collapse only to be remembered in the sands of time.
But I tell you what my friend told me when I asked him if he would tolerate a mediocre life:
A mediocre life is means to an end.
When someone says teaching children is a mediocre task, it is because they judge from an abstraction that cuts out the deeper clarity. Teachers actually, in my opinion, have some of the most fascinating jobs that todays world has to offer:
- There are emotions of youthfulness one can experience while teaching.
- Getting to spend a year with a dynamic yet varying set of students.
- Having a significant role in the future of the world by molding these lives.
You see, calling a job mediocre is to deny others from taking a closer look at the task. The supposed exotic lives of celebrities with millions of followers on twitter are all we see and so you acknowledge it.
But then you might ask me: Are you suggesting that it is alright to live your entire life playing it safe without having any stakes and continuing in your monotonous routines? How different would we be from the birds in the sky who just try to survive day in and day out?
The truth is, mediocrity is in the mind.
One does not have to stop at what the title says you ought to do. One can decide the boundaries for herself.
People waste the best years of their life trying to repeat a cycle that continues till the day they die. Without explorations and risks, you are limited by the path you chose to take.
And that is my point. The path you chose to take.
You see, there is a reason why despite being in a world of 7 billion people, we are progressing forward.
Not everyone is cut out to skip the mediocrity at the start. It takes time to build confidence, status and experience to venture in to the unknown and return feeling victorious. For some, this inflection point is earlier on in their career while for others it is much later.
Regardless, it does not matter how many years you lost to live an exceptional life, for as long as you are satisfied with your work and you are giving it your best, someone at some part of the world is grateful for it. One might not see it immediately but it is indeed quite true.
For example, every time a new speaker came and presented an innovation at Google I/O 2019, I would immediately go to LinkedIn and see how did they get to this point in life. Surprisingly, the first job they received after graduating from University was quite mediocre. Yet they ascended over the years and as years became decades, routines became obvious as they gained experience that only time can build.
As my friend rightly said, mediocrity is means to an end. Routines with repetition are experiences to condense in the mind over time. One pivots when they feel ready to try on new shoes and confront new environments.
Those who have some of the most amazing lives started out in rather mediocre and mundane ways. For example, Cal Newport, the author of several best selling self help books has a similar experience to share. In his book So Good That They Cannot Ignore You, he talks about how he considered to settle for his first and last job as a university professor. He accepted the job, but did not settle for the title. Through his books, he shared his thoughts that have significantly shaped the world as a result.
To be average is not bad. To aspire for greatness is not bad either. But the best is to get the better hold on the mediocre cycles and control the course of eccentric lives you lead moving forward.
Do not feel disappointed if you find yourself in 9–5 job role. Others call it mediocre, but do you? The answer you state and the actions you take make all the difference. Everything has an immense level of clarity — some less obvious and more rewarding than the rest.
