Men who settle for mediocrity in their lives, whether it’s in their job, relationship, or lifestyle miss living their true potential. They accept things the way they are without much thought about changing.
They know they are living unfulfilled and unsatisfied lives, yet they never take the necessary steps to break free from mediocrity. They are left feeling trapped, paralyzed, and helpless.
Time for a change.
Henry David Thoreau said it best, “most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”
Mediocrity wants you to settle for living below what you are capable of living. It wants you to stay stuck in the same boring, unfulfilling routines. It wants you to accept the way things are without trying to improve. Mediocrity not only affects you, but everyone connected to you.
Do you need to change the people you hang around? Do you need to get over a crippling fear that has held you, hostage, for years? Do you need to replace an old stagnant routine with a new and effective routine?
Whatever you need to do, today is the right day to get started. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t wait for approval from others. Don’t wait for things to magically fall into place. If you do, you will die with your dreams in you.
Life is about change. It is forever moving. If you don’t move with it then you miss out. It is your choice whether you join in or live in mediocrity. I have discovered from my life and talking to other men seven reasons why some men settle for mediocrity.
1. They don’t take responsibility.
The extent to which men live effective and productive lives depend on them taking responsibility for their life. Many men have a habit of blaming others for their circumstances. Their parents did not support them, the company did not promote them fast enough, the job market did not provide the right opportunities and the list goes on and on.
Men must admit that their situation may be a direct result of the choices they’ve made. If men want to live life at maximum capacity, they must take responsibility for where they are, stop blaming others, learn from their mistakes, make the necessary changes, and live forward.
2. They give into their fears.
One of the greatest enemies to breaking free from mediocrity is fear. If men are ready to live their best lives, then it is time for them to make their move. Men can’t afford another day of letting fear dictate their destiny.
If men continue to give into their fears, then their fears will hold them hostage. Fear will tell them what they are not capable of accomplishing or worthy to live out. Fear makes you feel uncomfortable and uneasy about breaking free from mediocrity.
Fear’s job is to discourage and dissuade men to walk away from doing what they can do. Men, it is time to take an immediate stand. Tell fear to get out of your way because you have a life to live beyond mediocracy.
3. They ignore their purpose.
Men were designed to fulfill their unique purpose. If men ignore their purpose, they ultimately disqualify who they are. Many men have been duped into telling themselves and the world, “that living their purpose is not worth the effort”, or “how can they live out their purpose with their negative history”.
A man’s purpose is bigger than him. When men ignore their purpose, not only do they lose, but those connected to them lose. Whether men realize it or not, when they choose to live their purpose, they come alive and impact those around them.
A man’s purpose anchors him and keeps him focused regardless of what is happening around him. It is better for men to live their purpose imperfectly than to ignore their purpose and not live it at all.
4. They allow negativity to dictate their thoughts.
We live in a very negative world. We are bombarded at every turn with negative news and pessimistic commentary. Turn on the news and the first seven stories are about murders, robberies, diseases, and disasters.
Listen to a majority of people’s conversations and it is about how bad things are. If men look at their situation, they can easily find something negative to talk about. Negativity is everywhere. It is hard to escape.
Negativity is like weeds, if you don’t kill it from the roots, it keeps coming back. It wants to grasp men’s minds and rule their thoughts. It wants to block men’s focus so they can’t see today’s possibilities. Negativity leaves many men frustrated and discouraged about life.
Men must make it a priority to avoid negative people, places, things, and habits. They must make it a priority to not give into consuming the garbage these negative sources try to pour into their lives. Men must choose to feed their minds a more balanced meal of positivity, optimism, and hope.
5. They keep holding onto yesterday.
One of the worst things a man can do to hinder his process is holding onto what happened yesterday. I know men that are still stuck on what they did in high school 25 years ago. They let someone who told them ten years ago that they were not good enough or educated enough to achieve their dreams keep them in mediocrity.
It is imperative for men to stop holding onto to what happened yesterday. Let it go. Today is a new day and men must approach life differently. Yesterday’s successes and failures are where they are, in the past. Stop spending time holding on to something that is gone and you cannot get back.
Men can break free of the bondage of yesterday by using the memory of yesterday as a steppingstone to improve or for instruction on what not to do. Men can’t start the next chapter of their life if they keep re-reading the last chapter.
6. They spend too much time with life-draining people.
Life is too short to spend time with people who are constantly complaining and griping about life. They will suck the joy out of living.
If men spend their time hanging with people that are constantly speaking negativity, then they will eventually begin to speak negatively. It’s time to break free from these vision cripplers. If men don’t, they will keep them stuck in a life of mediocrity.
I want you to make a list of at least three men you can connect with who will encourage, listen, and support you. You need to trust these individuals to hold you accountable. Get around other men who are not afraid to chase their dreams. Please know that the men you allow in your life have a major influence on your life’s direction.
7. They keep waiting for permission.
If you are waiting for someone to give you permission to live out your dreams, you will be waiting for a long time. Give yourself permission to pursue your dreams.
Don’t disqualify or downplay your dreams. You are not promised to live the next minute or the rest of today — let alone tomorrow — so you might as well give yourself permission to pursue your dreams. You have the potential to be a trailblazer, a trendsetter, and a real difference-maker. The only thing that is stopping you is you.
Creating a meaningful life and pursuing your dreams take time and effort. You are worth the effort. Today and not tomorrow is the day to give yourself permission to move toward your life dreams.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. You miss living a great life waiting for the right person to choose you. You forfeit personal and family growth if you choose to wait for someone’s permission. Today is your day to give yourself permission to break free from mediocrity and live your best life.
“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. Nelson Mandela
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