My First WA Post! Mediocrity vs Exceptional-ism.

bydceglazier

285 followers

Updated 7 years ago

My First WA Post

So, it's been a few weeks since I had the good fortune to stumble my way onto WA. I've thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from both the community and training modules. As I've commented elsewhere, I'm truly impressed with the engagement and sincerity of the WA community. The value in having a built in network and this all-in-one site is just immeasurable and I'm delighted to be a part of it.

And finally, here I am taking the plunge and lobbing a whisper of my voice into my first post. As I sat pondering "what do you wanna say?!", what kept returning to mind is an adage I discovered few years back after doing some self-reflection. When I looked at "successful" people (as measured by financial security, reputation, perceived happiness with life), it occured to me that they're really no different then anyone else, it's just that they work that extra couple hours, they take time to attend to details (vs accepting "good enough"), they're ready, willing and able to put in that bit of extra care, time and effort. And that's the key. Right there it was, plain as day!

Mediocrity vs Exceptional

Then and there it dawned on me, it's just that little bit extra. How easy is that?!? Well, for some, it comes more easy than others. It's a fine line between working 8hrs, calling it a day and heading home to tend to the other 100 items on the to do list VS staying that extra hour to tweak this or that, answer customer email, or whatever it is that most of us know ought to be addressed but don't because so much more to be done. It's such a simple idea, but nuisanced. I'm going to try a metaphor.

Apples to Apples

So let's talk in terms of comparing apples to apples; the county fair is coming soon and we need to decide which grower will represent our NW side of the county in the big Apple County Regional Apple Growing Championship. Both growers in question fertilized their fields, but grower A took the time after last season's harvest to apply an additional treatment to the soil that helps to protect the trees during the winter, allowing for richer, more robust harvest next year (haha, I dunno, not a farmer). The point is that's a fine line. One grower will end up with an okay enough crop, it's passable, it'll do and get the job done. BUT, grower A by adding just a bit more effort will have an Exceptional crop.

It's the Little Things

This is so true in so many areas of life. You're doing the job anyway, spending the 95% needed to get the job done, it'll pass for good enough. Isn't it worth that extra 10% to have the end product be Exceptional, top of the class, the benchmark? Notice the math. The 95% (which is where many of us find ourselves when being honest about the effort we give, in many of life's areas) plus that extra 10% is just 105%, not some huge effort... it's just the little bit more that makes the difference. We all have the ability to give that little bit more, we can all be EXCEPTIONAL!

Cheers!

Dennis