Compromise and indecision, thoughts about the past and the aimlessness of the present - all this makes a person mediocre, and his future - gray, everyday and hopeless. If you are ready to unconditionally accept the norms and rules, to do only what is enough to do, and be content with little, you can leave everything as it is and not try to "jump" yourself. But if you don't like being a "gray mouse"?
In one of the outdated and rarely used meanings, "mediocrity" was called something good, suitable and quite fair. For example, F. M. Dostoevsky writes in his novel Poor People: “… in our house, at the clean entrance, the stairs are very mediocre; especially the front one - clean, light, wide, all cast iron and mahogany. " And in fact, what is so outstanding that can be required of an ordinary staircase, except that it be spacious, neat, comfortable, tightly knit and not very creaky? Nonetheless, mediocre people definitely live below their potential and use an extremely limited part of their capabilities. What makes them satisfied with the ordinary state of affairs and stop in the middle of the path, pushing them into the frames of such helpfully "fitted" cases? From the very moment of birth, a person actively acquires knowledge about the environment - in particular, knowledge about the dangers and restrictions. Adults at every step keep repeating to the baby: that is not allowed, it is dangerous, but that is completely impossible. In most cases, undoubtedly, in all these instructions there is a rational kernel, for they protect the foolish person from unpredictable steps and teach him to adapt to life. But some of the restrictions simply senselessly inhibit the child's creative potential, imposing a “puff pie” on the fragile psyche - solely because, for example, it is more convenient for parents. This is how the foundation of "smooth-haired", obedient, unassuming and … mediocre behavior is formed. Yet one of the most serious mistakes people make is continually comparing themselves to others. Engaged in this or that business, they tirelessly check themselves against the standards or achievements of the people around them. Thus, it is no longer the person himself who determines his success: he gives the right to others to decide whether he has achieved it or not. In fact, it is more correct to compare your results not with the achievements of other people, but with your own. True success is determined not by "superiority" in the echelon, but by the maximum realization of one's own inclinations and capabilities. You are successful if you did the best you could do. You are successful if you strive for personal excellence, work at your full capacity, and feel complete dedication. So, here are your potentialities and embodied achievements, and you need to compare with each other. If there is a huge gap between them, there is a serious reason to think if you are not "behind" yourself. And you need to worry not about being like others, but about being yourself.
