Mediocrity

 "The first step to mastery is the removal of everything in your environment that represents mediocrity, removing those things that are limiting." from Mastery by Stewart Emery


What does that statement mean, practically speaking?  I mean, there's the obvious: keep a tidy home, get rid of toxic friends, don't watch trash tv, don't spend all of your time laying on the couch.  What other ways could we remove mediocrity from our lives?  

Being a millennial, my first act was a quick google search.  There were a few interesting articles, including a number that referenced Mastery by Stewart Emery directly.  It was a good start.  I also checked Kwoon Talk, and again, there were some posts and comments.  But I'm a fan of lists, so I sat down and thought of a bunch of ways mediocrity can slip into our lives.  This is what I came up with:

Professional - is your job fulfilling, or is it slowly draining your time and energy? Are you doing your job to the best of your ability?

Fitness - are you taking even basic steps to keep your body in working order?

Nutritional - are you filling yourself with good fuel for that body?

Unnecessary clutter - are you holding onto things that no longer serve you, or never served you in the first place? (And yes, I am absolutely implying the existence of necessary clutter)

Recreational - are the things you do in your spare time making you better?  

Spiritual/Philosophical - are you taking time to think about the BIG questions?

Architectural - is the built environment around you serving your needs?  Is there a way you could alter it to make it work better for you?

Artistic - are you taking time to create art, or appreciate art, or encourage art?  

Traditional - are the traditions you uphold still serving their purpose? Could it be time to start new ones?

Musical - are you listening to music that moves you?

Environmental - are you making an effort to preserve the natural world and the planet that we live on?

Hygienic - are you keeping your body, your home, your world clean?

Compassionate - are you treating your fellow humans/living creatures with respect and compassion?

Consumeristic - are you spending your money on things that are worth the time it took you to earn that money?

Procrastination - what could be holding you back from starting/finishing that task that you want/need to do?

In Friendships - are the people you voluntarily surround yourself with encouraging you to be better?

Familial - are the people in your family encouraging you to be better? Are you encouraging them to be better?

Romantic - are your romantic relationships healthy, fulfilling, supportive?


I'm not saying that this list is complete or that you have to check every item off in order to be living the Mediocre-less Life (TM). But I wanted a place for people to start.


Today's song:

Magnets - Jon Hopkins Remix, by Disclosure, Lorde, Jon Hopkins

https://open.spotify.com/track/6YcQssEtp9VdssPYIwwIjn?si=832ebaf2c02c4262

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