All Hail Mediocrity!

I have always been good at a lot of things. Don’t sign off now and think I’m going to do some kind of pat on the back post here, ‘cause I’m not. Hear me out. : )

Like I said, I have always been good at a lot of things. I’m fairly smart and I always got decent grades without really having to work for them. I have a decent voice and did okay in choir. Things like that. But (without sounding like a whiner) I have to say that I feel like I’m not really great at much.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things that I really like to do and things that I’m okay at. But I really think I have fallen short of achieving ‘greatness’ in most categories.

I don’t want anyone to think that I am a Debbie Downer or anything like that. I will say that when I started writing on this little blog I decided that I would do it for me and that I would be honest. So I am not a Debbie Downer. I’m an Honest…Olga? (There are shockingly few girl names that start with a vowel!)

Over the years I have attained the highly sought-after status of mediocrity in many categories. I waited tables for seven years and was good at it, but definitely not the best. I worked in the same restaurant all those years and didn’t even bother to memorize the menu! Yikes. I used to run when I was younger and really enjoyed it. Now I am sooo no longer a runner, although I am trying to get back into it. I can do simple projects on my sewing machine fairly well, but haven’t come close to mastering many basic skills. I am a decent writer but have few original ideas.

That’s not where the list ends, but you get the general idea. I’m okay at a lot. So why have I not achieved greatness in any of the above categories? Along with many not listed here? I think I’ve narrowed it down to two reasons: I’m lazy and I’m a quitter.

You may be thinking that those are the same thing. And you’d have a valid point but you’d be wrong. (Sorry!)

Being lazy has kept me from trying things and being a quitter has kept me from being really great at the things I do get up off my arse to try. (Hehe) I’m not entirely certain why I was blessed with these fabulous traits, but there you have it. It reminds me of that quote of Chandler’s to Monica on Friends about why they can’t have kids. He says something like, “It means that my guys won't get off their butts, and you have a uterus that’s prepared to kill the ones that do!”

All that to say that I’m going to try. I’m going to try to do things well and to achieve excellence and not just meander through my existence on my mediocrity. (Deep, huh?) I’m running a 5K with my sister in a month and I’m doing my best to finish a few decorating projects in our apartment. I’ve got to start somewhere, and I figure if I get a few small victories under my belt I’ll be more likely to head on to the next challenge. I don’t think 28 is too old to change, do you? : )