During a relay race back in the days, my partner took off the minute the games master pulled the trigger. She ran speedily that our competitors struggled to catch up with her. Surprisingly, when my partner handed the baton to the next person on my team, she couldn’t run as fast as expected and one of our competitors ran past her, handing the baton over to the next person in her team. Crap! I was mad at my team mate that as soon as I got the baton (knowing that winning or losing depended on how well and fast I ran), with determination and eagerness to get the trophy, I ran so fast that I ran past my competitor who was few inches to the finishing lane.
Just like the relay team, though you have predecessors – those that pass down common traditions, those that expect you to finish like they have finished; they do not determine your end. Making it to the end successfully depends on you.
There are two sets of people in the world: First set of people are, those who allow their predecessors, environments, culture and tradition, determine their destinations; they have resigned to the norms of life. Then, the second set of people are, those who determine their destinations regardless of their environment, tradition, culture, etc – They pursue their purpose with determination, making aggressive changes to the pre-existing rules, traditions and norms of life until they reach their glorious destinations.
The word “Mediocre” according to free online dictionary could be defined as, poor to middling in quality, lacking in exceptional quality, ordinary. My own definition of mediocrity, simply put, is hovering around a circle and comfortably settling for same results as long as movement is made. The vast majority have resigned to this average level of living, they have accepted the fate influenced upon them by friends, relatives, tradition, religion and the ilk.
At birth, each man (whether twins or triplets), came out individually which makes you solely responsible for your destiny – fulfilled or unfulfilled. Just like in a relay race, winning or losing is dependent on each person even though they belong to same team, in other words, failures of your predecessors, limitations of your environment and social norms, should not deter you from fulfilling your own purpose for nobody was made or created to maintain the “status quo”.
Ephesians 2:10; For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. You were created a MASTERPIECE – An outstanding piece of God’s work, that is, you’re not meant to be like another, you were not created to live anything below outstanding, nor be anything below superior. You are unique and different which makes you one with a unique purpose and you must strive hard to produce expected results.
What then does it take to live above mediocrity? You ask!
Ideally, the first step to effecting change in your life and impacting your generation is to genuinely and passionately detest your present position and the situation of things around you, that way, you’ll choose to die trying to bring about change rather than resigning to status quo. So many strong men and women destined for greatness ended up going back to Egypt (mediocrity) because they never really saw the need for Canaan (change), if they’d have to suffer and struggle to get there. They never really complained in Egypt, they felt comfortable under captivity, they felt comfortable even though they were not fulfilling their purpose, they had free food, houses and whatever they needed, (Numbers 11: 4-6), Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. 5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. 6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”as a result they cried to return to Egypt each time they were faced with difficulties.
You must know who your source is – no short cut to it and you must also understand that there are treasures in you to be manifested. If God is not prioritized in your life, you may never realize the treasures in you how much more manifest them. Without acknowledging Him as the one who has the ability to process the raw treasure in you, then failure and inferiority will be your results.
2 Corinthians 4:7; But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The NLT version (7B) puts it this way; this makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
The earthen vessel refers to man, deposited in each man is a treasure that contains several gifts and raw potentials. Man is an earthly, ordinary and carnal being that needs the spirituality, sovereignty and wisdom, of his creator to be able to manifest the hidden treasure in him. The reason you have this treasure in a filthy vessel is, that you may depend on the one who knows the treasure in you to unfold and guide you to manifest it, it cannot be completely manifested without breaking down the filth around it and your total commitment is needed to do this. Until one completely dies to carnality and is transformed into a Spiritual being, knowledge and access to hidden treasures will be denied them.
(1 Corinthians 2:14) But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Carnality hinders the manifestations of spiritual things so everything that connotes carnality must be done away with through the help of the Holy Spirit – remember the great power is from God.
As I watched events unfold in my life and my surrounding, I realized that everyone did the same thing, same way, and ended up in the same place. I call that the “roundabout progress” –moving but not advancing. I knew that things had to be done differently. I needed to acquire more knowledge to aid me through my journey, I needed to tread where they had not trodden and feared to tread, etc. Things have to be done differently with great determination if you must live beyond the standard of living set by your predecessors and vague tradition. Until you relentlessly seek new ideas, forcefully pursue and implement these new ideas, you may never be able to breakdown the walls that hindered and held your predecessors down.
In all these, your belief system plays the center and most important role in living beyond average and maximizing your potentials. (Proverbs 23:7a) For as a man thinketh in his heart so he is…… Great minds think differently, they see beyond the circle, they know they can be whatever they see or imagine and they choose to take the risk involved knowing they are headed for greatness. Some great men and women have chosen to settle for mediocrity because their belief systems have been influenced by average lives, their environments say no to stepping out of the circle because their tradition has placed a limitation that no one has ever broken and everyone must end up the same way. Do away with “cannot” attitude, however difficult it may seem. Great people never take “no” for an answer, they never throw in the towel when they fail, they never shrink in the face of obstacles and disappointments- as a matter of fact they become stronger and draw closer to their source.
The “housefly” mentality has destroyed so many destinies and prevented people that should reign as kings and queens from reaching their royal destinations. What do I call the “housefly” mentality? Put a housefly in a bottle and cover the bottle, it struggles to come out but because the bottle top has limited its escape it chooses to keep struggling for freedom in the closed bottle. When you take off the bottle top, it flies to the height of the bottle top and goes back in, even though the bottle top has been taken off. That is where the work of Salvation comes in. So many men and women destined for greatness do not know how free they are to attain their glorious destinies, because they wallow in darkness and associate with like minds.
The moment you decide to take that giant step, people with lesser courage, and mediocre minds will try to stop you. Saul tried to discourage David from standing up to Goliath – David had looked beyond what others saw and went for it, bringing glory to God, himself and the Israelites, (1 Samuel 17: 32-37). Albert Einstein said "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
Expect violent oppositions from your family, friends, relatives, neighbors, strangers, people in high positions- perhaps you may need them to cross over and above all, evil forces. Expect failures, but you must keep trying- men like Bill Gates inspire me, he never gave up when he dropped out of school. Expect tough trials and temptations, which most times, arise fiercely at the edge of breakthrough. Expect to be dissuaded when you share your ideas with people, they may not hate your idea, but the fact that when you carry them out you’ll be out of the league of small minds.
