A mediocre person is distinguished primarily by the fact that he does not have a clearly defined individuality. On some important life issues, such an individual does not have a clear point of view or a firm position.
In contrast to charisma, mediocrity makes its owner gray and invisible in the crowd. Such a person dresses and behaves in such a way as to be like everyone else. Often mediocre individuals are passive and lazy. They are not looking for ways to express themselves, they are not concerned with ways of self-development and improving their own talents.
Such people prefer not to look for a new solution, but to think and act in clichés. They easily accept other people's opinions and can be driven. A mediocre person tends to doubt himself; he believes more in the opinion of the majority. That's why he prefers to be in the shadow of others.
A mediocre person is usually not drawn to leadership and does not want to achieve outstanding results in anything. Average indicators are his maximum. The will to win rarely accompanies such an individual. He is characterized by some apathy. In addition, he prefers a predictable, boring, but reliable existence to an interesting, full life with a dose of risk.
Despite a fairly calm existence, mediocrity can suffer from reflection, melancholy and depression. The doubts mentioned above may be mixed with regret or sadness of some kind of loss. Statics, immobility, thoughts, melancholy, self-pity - these are the companions of mediocrity.
Mediocrity is characterized by such vices as overeating and alcohol abuse. After all, they have nothing to kill time with; they choose the most mundane, primitive pleasures. They don’t realize that they are simply wasting their time. Mediocre people can sit for a long time in front of a TV or computer monitor, leaving useful activities to more active and lively people.
It happens that some significant, random events occur in the lives of mediocre people, and radically change their lives. They seem to come to life after a dream, look at their existence from the outside and shake themselves up. Otherwise, your whole life may pass in fog and boredom.
Reasons for mediocrity
Often, indecisive, mediocre individuals may experience fear of life and self-doubt. They believe that it is better to keep a low profile, to follow a well-established, proven track, but not to tempt fate. Sometimes such people have low self-esteem. Therefore, they do not believe in their own strengths, they do not trust themselves.
Mediocrity can also be a consequence of the lack of some life goals and guidelines. If a person simply has no idea what he wants, then it is difficult for him to start trying and strive for something specific. It's the same with talents. Sometimes people do not develop their abilities because they simply do not know their own strengths and inclinations.
Oh, what an offensive word... But just imagine, is there a volunteer who can honestly and directly admit to himself and everyone that he is mediocre? I decided to find out better what mediocrity is and went searching for information on the Internet.
I learned so many offensive things... If you put all the definitions and epithets in one pile, you won’t be able to see the person in her. No man! Is it really? Let's find out!
I wanted to find a starting point for my analysis in Wikipedia, but, to my surprise, such a page was not there. Other Internet resources, each in its own way, give many definitions of mediocrity, like in a market, choose any one you like. So I chose:
Mediocre person- the one who does not stand out in any way, merges with the gray mass, values public opinion, hates courage and risk, kills dreams, loves a stationary lifestyle, and has no goals in life.
Believe me, the others were even worse. In my opinion, today with these words they are trying to insult and belittle a very large number of people who do not have outstanding abilities. Did you know that they once wrote about the famous poet Joseph Brodsky: “Brodsky is a good poet, but mediocre...” Therefore, it is too early to lose heart!
I hear that the root of the word “mediocrity” is the word “by means,” and not “medium,” as the phonetic analysis of the word shows. A person lives within his means, that is, within certain limits. As soon as something accumulates that can push these boundaries (money, talent, experience, skills, etc.), then life goes beyond the previous boundaries and finds itself in new, but larger ones. Vicious circle? It seems so. Although very bright people, gifted with talents and abilities, can still be outstanding. They are united by one thing, something in common, maybe this: are they interested in living like this?
In order to become outstanding among other people, you need to have a lot of things; such people constantly overcome obstacles on their life and creative path. None of them had it easy or simple. While the vast majority are accustomed to moving along the path of least resistance, which is why funny pictures appear on the Internet saying that becoming mediocre is not so difficult, in fact, you don’t even need to try very hard. Want to see what you need to do to achieve this?
11 ways to become mediocre
Just don't do anything! You will become 100% ordinary and ordinary mediocre. It is much more difficult to do something in your life, because before that you first need to come up with an idea and then start act.
In fact, almost everyone who writes on this topic on the Internet calls for this. And I propose to look at it from a slightly different angle, and say that if there were no mediocrity, then we would not know what talent and outstanding abilities, multiplied by incredible performance, are. Yes, there are not many such people, but there are among us, and for the most part, they overcome themselves every day and compete with themselves. The difference between these people is that they don't want to be mediocre skaters, mediocre programmers, mediocre engineers or scientists, they want to be the best!
What should everyone else do? Give in to despair and give up? In no case! Abraham Lincoln also noted: “I think that God is partial to ordinary and ordinary people, since He created them in huge numbers.”
I propose to observe outstanding people and try to find out and understand how they became like this? Each of them will have their own recipe for success, and its basis is titanic work. We often see how unremarkable people make history, while possessing quite ordinary data. By setting small goals for themselves, they achieve their intended goal, as a result of which their confidence in themselves and their abilities grows, which allows them to achieve subsequent goals.
The trained business skills of these people allow them to concentrate on small things and details, gradually, step by step, honing their skills. Outstanding and successful people can get by just fine without talent. Each of them is strong because they once recognized themselves as an ordinary and mediocre person, and at some point did not want to live with it any longer. It is this kind of realistic thinking that can work wonders.
Each of us feels exceptional and different from others. But the question is: how are we perceived from the outside? Don't we seem to those around us to be the most ordinary, gray and boring people, who do not stand out in any way from the same gray and ordinary crowd? Do they think of us offensively and characterize us as mediocrity?
The meaning of the word hardly needs to be explained to anyone, but it is certainly worth understanding how to get rid of this stigma.
Comparing yourself to others is a thankless task
One of the human characteristics is the need to compare oneself and one's achievements with what other people have already achieved. Although this is in some way dangerous, since it does not allow a person to be himself, but adapts him to some standards. That is, he, constantly remembering the successes or failures of those around him, becomes like the majority. Many people also call this phenomenon the herd instinct. It's a shame, isn't it?
Maybe that’s why it will be much wiser and more productive for each of us, looking back, to compare ourselves only with ourselves, but yesterday. This will make it possible to see and analyze what exactly has been done over the past day, year or ten years and, as a result, will entail giving up the need to compete with others. After all, now you don’t care who is behind or who is in front - if only you could overcome your own laziness and mediocrity!
Believe me, this state will force you to radically change your life, giving up the habit of being satisfied with low standards, and will spur you to realize your dreams and desires.
Mediocrity is the fear of dreams
A dream is what makes us move forward, giving us incentive and filling life with meaning. But it turns out that many are simply afraid to truly dream. Ask the average person about his deepest desires, and it turns out that they are very small and somewhat “momentary”: to go on vacation to the sea or to renovate the kitchen. And some even find it difficult to answer such a question.
Why? It’s just that a person clearly explains to himself: “What I really would like cannot come true. This is an unattainable dream! ”, and hides everything deep, deep inside the soul, sometimes even forgetting about your real desires.
It is precisely this disbelief of the “average” person in his dream and the fear of the difficulties of bringing it to life that helps us clearly answer the question: “Mediocrity - what is it?”
And in order not to become like her, learn to dream! Extract your deepest desires from the depths of your soul - they will bring a lot of new colors into your life, and most importantly, they will serve as a huge incentive to move forward.
Your opinion and the opinions of others are not the same thing
When discussing what mediocrity is, we cannot forget about such a quality of “average” people as the absence of their own opinion.
They are accustomed to listening and taking on faith everything that is said from the outside, without analyzing or even reflecting on the information received. No, no one is saying that someone else’s opinion is not worthy of attention, but it should always be, first of all, just a basis for forming your own point of view. Trying to please everyone, agreeing with other people's opinions or following other people's desires, a person, without noticing it, lives not his own, but someone else's life.
Therefore, remember that the most important thing is to always remain yourself!
Protect your wishes
Let the postulate that each of us is a value (and therefore our personal opinion is also valuable) become fundamental for everyone. After all, another feature that distinguishes mediocrity is lack of confidence in one’s own importance. Such a person, as a rule, easily agrees with the idea that he is no better than others, or that no one gave him the right to demand something more than what was offered.
But I wonder who gives this right anyway? They take it, or rather have it, from birth. This means you should never settle for less than what you dream of. And it is important to always achieve your goal, regardless of any external obstacles or internal resistance. Because, once you agree with an underestimated assessment of yourself, you may find that the chance to get what you dreamed of has been missed, and often irrevocably.
Mediocrity is the desire to remain in the comfort zone
Undoubtedly, a person does a lot in his life in accordance not with desires, but only with habit. And this state drags on over time, preventing him from considering the many opportunities that life constantly opens up for him. And some things people themselves do not want to notice, fearing that this will force them to make important decisions. Thus, a mediocre (average) existence becomes a kind of comfort zone that is scary to leave.
After all, any innovation entails the unknown, and even offensive mistakes - and all this frightens, forcing you to hide deeper into your calm, musty little world where nothing happens. But maybe it’s still worth taking a risk and filling your life with new emotions and the joy of victories, even if this means making mistakes several times? After all, only such an approach to life is worthy of respect! This is the only way a person ceases to be mediocre.
Inspiration and strength will come along the way
As you move forward towards the dream you believe in, you will definitely gain inspiration and strength. And, by the way, the more significant the goal and the more difficult the path to it, the happier and more pleasant the result will be.
And note that all this is not scary - you just need to initially set yourself up to live as if you have absolutely nothing to lose. It is this attitude to what is happening that will help overcome timidity and indecisiveness, also filling your life with a magnificent anticipation of the opportunities that will open up, as well as a sense of your own importance and strength.
And how many interesting people you will meet along this path, how many previously unknown feelings you will experience, and what bright colors the world around you will shine! That’s when it will be possible to argue with the truth that existence determines our consciousness - now internal fullness (that is, your consciousness) will move you further to success.
We hope the article helped you finally understand the nagging question: “What is mediocrity?”, and make an important decision for yourself to get out of its sticky web, thereby turning into a self-sufficient and bright personality. Good luck on your journey!
Mediocrity as a personality quality is the tendency to manifest an unremarkable, ordinary, mediocre, mediocre person who has failed to find his life purpose and has not taken the path of goodness.
While editor of the Arizona Quacker newspaper, Twain once received a letter from a reader. Attached to the letter was a horrifyingly illiterate poem called “Why Am I Alive?” Twain published the following response to the author in the newspaper: “Because you did not bring these poems to the editor in person.” Another time, Twain returned a manuscript to a mediocre author with the following letter: “Dear friend! Reputable doctors recommend that people with mental work eat fish, because this product provides phosphorus to the brain. I am an ignorant person in these matters and therefore cannot say how much fish you need to eat. But if the manuscript, which I am pleased to return to you, is an accurate reflection of what you usually write, then it seems to me that I will not be mistaken in saying that two whales of average size will not be an over-the-top “ration” for you.”
One mediocre actor turned to Bernard Shaw to intercede with the director. Shaw, having met the director, told him: “This young man plays Hamlet, Romeo, Ferdinand, on the piano, on the clarinet, and at billiards.” The latter plays best.
Mediocrity is a person who has received a satisfactory assessment from God for the life he has lived. A C student in life is what a mediocre person is. Why did he receive the “Satisfactory” rating? Why didn’t you become an excellent or good student? And, at the same time, why, while going through life lessons, did you not become a “repeater”?
It should be noted right away that the president of the country, an artist, an entertainer, and a scientist can receive a rating of “mediocrity.” In a word, social status and profession do not provide a “preferential ticket” that automatically frees a person from the offensive definition: “You are mediocre!” There have been many mediocre presidents, artists, entertainers, and scientists throughout the history of the world.
The poison for mediocrity is realizing your life's purpose. A person who has found and realized his destiny cannot be mediocre. He has a love affair with his business. Therefore, he works with love, enthusiasm, inspiration and encouragement. Everything he does absorbs the energy of the creator and therefore turns into something exclusive. What is made without soul is inexpensive. Why do people stand for hours in front of masters' paintings? The paintings gush with the artist’s energy; people feel this powerful charge and are drawn to it like a magnet.
The overwhelming majority are people who have not found their purpose in life. This is the contingent that forms the army of mediocrity. A person, engaged in self-deception, justifies himself that I am untalented, I have poor abilities, I am untalented. In fact, he simply has not found, for some reason, his purpose and is forced to do what he does not like, for which he does not have a soul and in which he really cannot stand out in any way from the general mass of the same, like him, mediocre people. Most people hate going to work, justifying themselves by the need to feed their family. Fulfilling your responsibilities to your family is, of course, necessary.
It's about something else. A person chooses for himself the destiny of mediocrity. Once upon a time he took the wrong path. Either he listened to a lot of bad advice, or was guided by mercantile, opportunistic considerations, but the fact remains that he, like the majority, is not doing what was destined for him by fate. It is typical that the largest number of heart attacks occurs on Monday at 9 am. Not surprising. I relaxed for the weekend, and then again the hated alarm clock and “the trumpet is calling.” The mood is at zero. Stress. So the heart can’t stand it.
There are quite a few people who have found their purpose. They go to work with joy and return with pleasure. The gallery of persons - the favorites of destiny, includes, first of all, geniuses, accomplished talents and gifts. However, it may contain a gifted mechanic, a skilled carpenter, and a talented mother. All who realize their purpose are, by definition, nothing to do with mediocrity.
An attentive, non-biased observer can argue that modern society is degrading morally and ethically at a fairly rapid pace. Carried away by tolerance, which in fact has turned into permissiveness and licentiousness, it is sliding into the abyss of ignorance and lack of culture. Most people are influenced by the energy of passion and ignorance. But not everything is so hopeless and gloomy. There are also healthy, benevolent forces in society. They are the ones who join the ranks of people who are the antipodes of mediocrity.
Mediocrity rolls downwards - towards degradation, non-mediocrity reaches up - towards goodness. Mediocrity has robbed itself morally and has become disabled from spiritual needs. People under the influence of the energy of goodness stubbornly and persistently move towards higher goals. Unlike people in passion, who set material goals for themselves - a house, a yacht, jewelry, people in goodness develop their minds, carry out personal growth, and strive for perfection. Therefore, the president of the country will be a mediocre, ordinary person if he drags the country down, like the majority, is influenced by the energy of passion, and the presidency is not his life purpose. At the same time, a simple journalist can be an extraordinary, far from mediocre person, if journalism is his calling, and if he honestly and selflessly fulfills his journalistic duty.
Mediocrity, according to Joseph Joubert, is a virtue in the eyes of mediocre people. Who would object if it led society to progress, and man to God's plan for him? But, unfortunately, mediocrity makes everything in a person mediocre - the mind, the feelings, and the intellect. Looking for the powerful potential of spiritual needs in mediocrity is as stupid as finding diamonds in a pile of costume jewelry.
God does not need the amount of money we earn, he takes the feeling of the heart, the state of our inner self. God does not care about the external efficiency of the personality. He doesn’t want to be bought off, but he will never refuse a gift of himself. God says: “You don’t give me the property, but the owner. Don’t buy me off, give me your soul.” Remember, in “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol’s character says “I’ll light such a candle!” This is not the approach needed.
In the film "Planet of the Apes", based on Ramayama, Hanuman, the king of the monkeys, carries huge blocks. The monkeys are building a giant bridge, and a small chipmunk runs nearby and drags some kind of stone. And Hanuman, the giant monkey, says: “Fuck off, chipmunk, you’re just getting in the way with your stones underfoot,” and either by accident or on purpose, he hits the chipmunk with his foot and he flies off like a ball. And the Lord himself, seeing that the chipmunk was kicked, comes up, takes it, gently strokes it, the chipmunk is happy. And he says to Hanuman: “I’m not interested in how much you do, I’m interested in... the heart!”
Conclusion: Mediocrity is a person who is a C student in life, who has failed to find his destiny and take the path of goodness.
Peter Kovalev
You have to be born a genius or even just a talented person. No matter what they tell us about the need for hard and persistent work (by the way, we do not deny it at all), without a psychophysiological predisposition to creativity we can achieve significant results
difficult. However, why do people speak of someone as “mediocre” with such contempt? This can be heard at school, at university, and in any group. We involuntarily envy the talented and successful. And we stigmatize those who - as it seems to us - do not stand out in any way.
What is mediocrity? or deviation? Let's think about the very meaning of the word; its etymology (internal form) often helps to understand the essence of the concept. Mediocrity is what lies between the extremes. Theoretically - between plus and minus. So why is this bad? Isn't observing the "golden mean" approved by society? However, if, for example, the scale
We display intelligence in the form of a coordinate system, where the plus is - and the extreme minus is its complete absence (from mental retardation to anencephaly), then it becomes clear that mediocrity is zero. The starting point is nothing. Nobody wants to be zero. Just as no one wants to be considered a mediocre person, meaningless and incapable of anything. Is this where our hostility to this concept lies?
Extreme mediocrity of thinking is the inability, unwillingness or inability to go beyond the standards, established dogmas, and stereotypes. Creativity, in principle, has always been the engine of progress and development. However, only recently have sociologists and psychologists asked themselves the problem of “mediocrity as Is this really a formidable phenomenon? How can it be dangerous?
After all, people have traditionally been wary of those who deviate greatly in any direction from the generally accepted “norm.” Geniuses were often outcasts, eccentrics, renegades. Just like mentally disabled people, although it was to them that more
condescension. But in recent decades, such concepts and personality traits as originality, unconventionality, and creativity have been actively cultivated. Other sciences that study humans also do this. So what is the danger of mediocrity? After all, a formulaic, standard solution to assigned tasks and problems cannot be considered a sin. Just as creativity cannot be an end in itself. It seems that mediocrity is considered undesirable and dangerous, primarily because of the tendency to conformism. To follow the crowd, the herd. To blindly and thoughtlessly carry out the will of others. And this is precisely what humanity has come face to face with especially tragically over the past hundred years.
In theory, in a society with traditional and strong value systems, mediocre people follow them and accept them, if only because everyone else does. And there is nothing reprehensible in this. Another thing is that if there are no such foundations, if either dictatorship or anarchy is strong, the inability to stand out from the crowd and the desire for blind submission can be dangerous precisely because of its mass character. Mediocrity does not analyze the causes of a phenomenon, does not delve into the essence. She blends in with the crowd because “that’s how it’s supposed to be” and “that’s what everyone does.” This is the main problem. However, is mediocrity eradicable?