We settle for mediocrity far too often. Shortcuts to completing a job are often more valuable then doing the job right the first time. It's important to note that I am not talking about actually starting a task. In that case, getting started should be put above the perfect start. But in regards to the actual quality of work, quality is usually sacrificed due to laziness. While there are some areas in life that settling is permitted, there are at least 3 that you, as a professional, absolutely cannot settle for less than the best.
It is also important to note that what is "best" in each of these areas depends on where you see yourself in life. These are not areas that you can just take a measuring stick to and determine if you're doing it right. That being said, let's dive in.
1. Your Job
Where you work and what you actually do in your professional life are as much a part of your life as anything else. We do not like to think that it holds a great amount of influence but it really does. Your job affects your schedule, how you spend your time, and what you think about on a daily basis.
Your job should be something you actually enjoy doing. Too many people settle for jobs that they do not enjoy because of the paycheck, benefits, or simply because they do not feel like they can do anything else. But a job like that does not actually help you benefit in the long-run at all. Sacrifices are always involved when taking a pay cut and a great amount of work is involved in actually changing jobs. But the benefits enjoyed of being able to wake up every morning and like what you do while genuinely being good at it are beyond compare.
Don't go for a job just because it's an easy one to get and/or do. Find something that you love and that challenges you to grow in your professional life. That way, the old adage of never working a day in your life will actually ring true for once. But your life has to be in balance regarding professional and personal lives. Your job should never take a toll on your health. In the event that it does, you need a change. That actually leads us into the second area where settling is not an option.
2. Your Health
Our health is something that all of us have taken for granted at some point or another. The unfortunate thing is that sometimes it takes losing someone or some aspect of our health before we realize how valuable it really is. Think about it. How much money would you take for your eyesight? Your hearing? How much could someone pay you to make losing your legs worth it? Chances are pretty good that the amount for any of these things is invaluable.
Another aspect of our humanity that shows how much we take our health for granted is how much neglect we put our bodies through in a given time frame. The holidays are a prime example. Those several weeks around Christmas and Thanksgiving are brutal for our bodies because, with the exception of some power shopping on black Friday, we are fairly inactive. We also give our body straight junk for fuel and expect it to perform at a high level. Talk about not having the tools to succeed.
Taking control of your health forces you to take control of the rest of your life because you start to care. You find out that all of those areas that hinder your performance can actually be influenced by your actions after all. Your health is the area of your life over which you have the most control. I am not advocating that you have total control because no one does. But learning to take responsibility for that place your mind, soul, and spirit will live for their entire earthly existence will make you take responsibility everywhere else too. Taking control of your health spills over into taking control of the rest of your life. You can't afford to skimp on your health, this is the only body you will ever have. God has trusted you with it and expects you to be a good steward of what He has given you. This brings us to something else God has given us where we can't afford to settle for mediocrity.
3. Your Happiness
I am a firm believer that happiness is a choice. You wake up every morning and determine how good of a day you are going to have. Some people let some bad news or what they see on the news determine how the rest of their day goes. But God gave you a brain so that you could actually decide how you're feeling and set your performance level. That makes the question this: Why would anyone settle on how happy they could be?
Settling in the area of happiness is largely due to us not being able to see ourselves getting any closer to where we want to be. Picture your perfect life with the perfect you living inside of it. Have you achieved it yet? You shouldn't have. Why not? Because the beauty of this life we live is the ability to strive for something better. What are you doing to get yourself closer to your ideal person and ideal life? I'm not saying that you should not be content with what you have. I am saying most people stop short of what they really want because they cannot see themselves going any farther. But when you climb a mountain-of-a-goal, you can always see to the top of the next mountain. It will take some more climbing, for sure. But the climb is well worth the struggle and the fight it takes to get you there.
Be proud of yourself and your life. Live a life that you are unashamed of and one that allows you to live optimally. Don't settle for less that ideal when it comes to your employment, your health, and your happiness. Trust me; your are worth the investments necessary to make these areas the best that they can possibly be. When you sow the right things, you will reap even better things.
Stay classy,
Andrew
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