"Mediocrity is fast becoming the cue of our times. Every imaginable excuse is now used to make it acceptable, hopefully preferred. Budget cuts, time deadlines, majority opinion, and hard-nosed practicality are outshouting and outrunning excellence.
Those forces seem to be winning the race. Incompetence and status quo averages are held up as all we can now expect. The tragedy is that more and more people have agreed.
Why live differently in a society where it’s so much easier to look the same? Why fight for something better when so few seem to care? Why stand courageously if it means risking ridicule, misunderstanding, or being considered a dreamer by some and a fool by others?
To quote young David just before he took on that Philistine behemoth in the Valley of Elah, “Is there not a cause?” Must we wait for someone else to establish our standard or to set our pace? Not on your life! It is my firm conviction that those who impact and reshape the world are the ones committed to living above the level of mediocrity. There are still too many opportunities for excellence, too much demand for distinctiveness, to be satisfied with just getting by.
A commitment to excellence is neither popular nor easy. But it is essential." (Chuck Swindoll)
Today, I am compelled to strive for excellence in those areas where I've just been getting by.
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