No Safety In Mediocrity

A Critical Doer keeps risk and failure in context with opportunity and success 

I read an interesting sports article today about the Denver Broncos firing of Head Coach John Fox.  Although Fox compiled an impressive record over 4 seasons with the Broncos, he was fired after a disappointing playoff loss in a season where expectations of a Super Bowl championship ran high.  The article was titled “John Fox Ouster Dumb…and Typical”…check out the article before proceeding with the post.

Now that you’re back…did you find the premise of the article as unsettling as me?  I’m not certain if it’s what the author meant, but what he communicated was there is safety in mediocrity and striving for high achievement doesn’t pay.  Seriously?  Critical doers, let’s set the record straight.  There is no safety in mediocrity; it only numbs the senses to failure.

The critical doer understands that in striving for fulfillment…that level of achievement that gives personal satisfaction…setbacks occur (see my previous post on success versus fulfillment).  In balancing the inevitability of setbacks with the prospects of fulfillment, the real question becomes whether your passion for fulfillment is greater than your fear of failure.  Only when you are willing to fail can you hope to achieve the high success that gives life meaning…on your terms.

While the author and others who measure success as “failure avoidance” rather than “success creation”, critical doers will continue staying true to their character and doing things for the pundits to sit in the bleachers and judge.  They may hail us for high achievement…they may deride us for failure…but our willingness to take the smart risks and accept all that comes with it will always provide those shining moments that make us believe in the very best of our own humanity.

Your challenge now is to walk away from the realm of the cynics, and become laser focused on a professional or personal goal that you need to think through logically and attack passionately.  The only way to truly lose is to not play…so step away from the myth that there is safety in mediocrity and get started today.  It’s what a critical doer would…do!

 

 

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Updated: January 14, 2015 — 2:30 am