As a whole, we are average people. Our society is average. Most businesses are average. But why? When we were all growing up, were we told, “just make a C, that’s average”? No, we were told that we should get an A. Some were told that an A was all that was acceptable, but most got by with Cs. Because a C is, after all, average – and what’s wrong with that?
When did we stop dreaming? Stop striving for better? Settle for okay? I am not sure, but I for one have stopped that nonsense, and I encourage you to as well. God, who created us in his image, is not average. So why do we think it is okay to “low rent” ourselves and get lazy? You may not feel that you are lazy. You may feel that you work 8-12 hours a day, and that is enough. That, my friends, is just life and work. Not fulfillment.
If you are not reaching your potential, I encourage you to attempt to do so! This brings you above the average line. Push yourself – the way that maybe you have never been pushed before. Push yourself to be better, to grow, to become better than you were yesterday. My great-uncle Charlie said it best, “The more you learn, the more you earn.” My uncle Charlie was my first boss – and the toughest on me – and a top producer for State Farm Insurance. He, and his two brothers – my grandfather, and my great Uncle Tony – always pushed to be a bit better every day. All three, in their own way, making their own way.
You see, in the era in which these men grew up, taking care of yourself was the ONLY way. With immigrant parents and no “family fortune” to rely on, they had to help provide for the family from a young age and they figured it out, all three providing well beyond average lifestyles for their families. Somewhere between that generation and mine, however, that drive got lost. Many (not all, but a lot) of the next two generations had or have a job, which is supposed to provide security and financial stability. It didn’t and can’t though, because in that same time-frame, credit became the “big thing” and it is difficult to find anyone without some kind of debt racked up that is not related to mortgage. Most have at least major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) and some have store cards, and many are maxed out, with no hope of paying them off by paying the minimum payment each month.
Is this the way to live? Paycheck to paycheck, money going out as fast as it comes in, and in debt. God did not want us to live like this. We do not want to live like this. I challenge you today:
- Don’t accept that your life is the best it can be
- Set Goals for yourself and set them HIGH
- Learn something every day
- Be better today than you were yesterday
- Don’t compete for average, DOMINATE and Demonstrate EXCELLENCE
