me·di·o·cre
mēdēˈōkər
adjective
- of only moderate quality; not very good
synonyms: ordinary, average, middling, middle-of-the-road, uninspired,undistinguished, indifferent, unexceptional, unexciting, unremarkable, run-of-the-mill
STOP & ask yourself the question,am I settling for mediocre?
Right this second I am sitting in a beach house on Saint George Island looking across a huge porch overlooking the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I have 2 handsome little boys down for naps, an amazing husband just off the island actually being able to enjoy a break playing golf with my Daddy, & watching my girls play a fun game of wiffle ball with my sister & Mama on the beach. I can make out their smiling faces as they run & play. Nope, I'd quickly answer the question with a straight forward no. Then, I challenge that thought. Next, I certainly begin to offer up more evidence to back up my claim. I have a free, paid for vacation down to the gas & groceries for the week. I have eaten a boat load of America's finest foods from fresh seafood to special ordered, hand cut steaks cooked to perfection. I have the choice of the beach, pool, or hot tub at my disposal for 7 whole days. I have brought a New York Time's best selling Dr Phil book that I have been enjoying reading with my toes in the sand. I can take naps (something highly unusual for me) under the shade of our beach tent or while laying out basking in the sun another of the 6 adults watch the kiddos for a while. Even this morning as it rained we sought out the Apalachicola Nature Estuary Reserve. This by definition is definitely both exceptional & exciting. There is nothing mediocre about this week, but what about my usual week? As I bask in life's blessings & finish up a workout by Tiffany Rothe on youtube, I sweep the sand tracked floors, fold laundry, & reorganize the messy 'fridge as I listen to one of my favorite motivational speakers, Larry Winslet who challenges me with this exercise:
1~Write down EXACTLY how things are in each area of your life (in detail). Be brutally honest! Don't lie to yourself.
2~Write down EXACTLY how you DESIRE things to be in each area of your life (again, in detail). Dream BIG!
3~Write down what you are willing to give up or do to change in order to have the life you desire!
He begins in his own Larry way to cut to the chase & give statistics about how the vast majority of people life a mediocre lifestyle~financially, spiritually, in their home life, relationships, work, health wise, etc. No one really ever wants to rock the boat or do whatever it takes to get ahead. Change is difficult because fear of the unknown creeps in. This fear is so natural that many do not even realize how powerful it is. It cripples us. We resist change. We become insane... as in doing the same old things over & over again as if we expect different results or our lives to magically POOF & get instantly "better." In reality, it's not magic or wishful thinking or repeating a great meaningful mantra. It takes an effort to know what you want, plan how you are going to achieve it, & getting off your lazy behind to do something about it. Most anyone can dream & complain but real success begins when you take action. Put your own 2 feet under those dreams so they can take off! It's that easy. Our lives are ours & what we make of it. Sure, uneventful things come our way. Guess what? That happens to everybody. Bones break, sickness comes, diseases attack, accidents happen, people die, others are cruel, etc. Deal with the situation but don't buy the T-shirt! Try viewing those as our own personal chances to shine! Sing "Overcomer" by Mandisa loud & proud. Pick up the pieces, regroup, & continue on your right track. This is our life & our only chance at it, no dress rehearsal going on here! Be all that you can be! Live your BEST life! It was gifted to us by God & is what we make of it. My real life example:
During our entire day of beach packing, I fretted over what they could wear for pictures. Several had cute "beachy" outfits. Then no one would have anything that would really coordinate. I finally just picked these without being fully satisfied. On our last night on the island, it took us probably over an hour to rush everyone inside early, bathe everyone, get them dressed, etc. I curled the girl's hair. Finally they were all ready. From the moment we began, the wind picked up. The girl's hair was flying everywhere. The boys wanted to play as they had all week out there in the sand. No matter where we posed them, hair was swirling in circles all around their faces. Curl was no where in sight. Needless to say, this did not go down as I had envisioned. Every year we take these cute, posed pictures where everyone cooperates & is usually way too matchy matchy. Not.this.year. I did get frustrated with the wind. I didn't yell or loose it though because I hate myself when that happens. I just let them play. They all got soaking wet. They laughed out loud. The smiles you see here are genuine. They have never enjoyed beach pictures this much & never have I been so proud of how they turned out (& at myself for regrouping rather calmly). Winds blow. That's just life. When I learned to accept that, I moved on & the pictures turned out perfect!
My new prayer is this, "Lord, help me not to settle for simply mediocre. I know you see so much more. I want to live that extra ordinary life that you have planned out just for me!" Anything is possible with God! The real question is, am I willing to do what it takes???
