IT TAKES SO LITTLE TO BE ABOVE AVEARAGE!
Why do we settle for mediocrity? Is it fear? Is it laziness? Is it our low expectations?
What is it about being "average" that makes it so comfortable? Why don't we aim for higher ground? Why don't we shoot for the stars or try to make that home run hit?
When my children were small, I decided I wanted them to be more than "average" adults. I wanted them to realize they can make small adjustments to their lives and be more than average people.
When they were small children, I expected them to have manners. I instructed them to say those simple little important words like...thank you...please...no ma'am and yes sir!! When they forgot to use those words, my "gentle" nudge to them would be..."Excuse me?" (accompanied with a lift of my eyebrow) They soon learned from those gentle nudgings to remember their manners. As I taught these lessons, I would tell them that I believed by the time they were adults these simple manners would be..."above average."
Now that they are grown, they have come to realize ...it is so!!
We live in a world that seems to have zero respect not only for our elders but to everyone around us. A simple "thank you" seems to be hard to find. One of my pet peeves is to have chosen to spend my money at a place of business and the checkout person can't even find the gumption to say..."thank you for shopping with us!" A simple " thank you" and a smile now is "above average".
When my son graduated from high school this past May, he was blessed with gifts from friends and family. We sat down one day and I visited with him about the importance of a hand "written" thank you note. And how that gesture is now..."above average." I wanted him to think about each person that sacrificed their time and money to give to him at this important time of his life. And I wanted him to respond to them with honest gratitude for that sacrifice. He needed to realize that just a simple.."thank you for the money" wasn't good enough...that was only "average" and I wanted more for him. So in response to my advice, he wrote thank you notes from his heart. He has been told several times from the receivers of these notes how precious those cards were and they could tell he had spent some time on writing them. Heartfelt hand written thank you cards are now..."above average."
Hopefully my children will remember these words of advice and will choose to do whatever it takes to rise above averageness...I don't believe that averageness is a word..but it fits well here...it's my blog..and I like it...so using it!! ha!
So, today don't choose the run-of-the-mill, ordinary, "average" way.
Don't continue to trudge down the "middle of the road" kind of life when there's so much more to gain from striving for excellence!
Realize you are a person of worth!
Choose to move in a direction that escalates you above the world of "Averageness!!"
Why do we settle for mediocrity? Is it fear? Is it laziness? Is it our low expectations?
What is it about being "average" that makes it so comfortable? Why don't we aim for higher ground? Why don't we shoot for the stars or try to make that home run hit?
When my children were small, I decided I wanted them to be more than "average" adults. I wanted them to realize they can make small adjustments to their lives and be more than average people.
When they were small children, I expected them to have manners. I instructed them to say those simple little important words like...thank you...please...no ma'am and yes sir!! When they forgot to use those words, my "gentle" nudge to them would be..."Excuse me?" (accompanied with a lift of my eyebrow) They soon learned from those gentle nudgings to remember their manners. As I taught these lessons, I would tell them that I believed by the time they were adults these simple manners would be..."above average."
Now that they are grown, they have come to realize ...it is so!!
We live in a world that seems to have zero respect not only for our elders but to everyone around us. A simple "thank you" seems to be hard to find. One of my pet peeves is to have chosen to spend my money at a place of business and the checkout person can't even find the gumption to say..."thank you for shopping with us!" A simple " thank you" and a smile now is "above average".
When my son graduated from high school this past May, he was blessed with gifts from friends and family. We sat down one day and I visited with him about the importance of a hand "written" thank you note. And how that gesture is now..."above average." I wanted him to think about each person that sacrificed their time and money to give to him at this important time of his life. And I wanted him to respond to them with honest gratitude for that sacrifice. He needed to realize that just a simple.."thank you for the money" wasn't good enough...that was only "average" and I wanted more for him. So in response to my advice, he wrote thank you notes from his heart. He has been told several times from the receivers of these notes how precious those cards were and they could tell he had spent some time on writing them. Heartfelt hand written thank you cards are now..."above average."
Hopefully my children will remember these words of advice and will choose to do whatever it takes to rise above averageness...I don't believe that averageness is a word..but it fits well here...it's my blog..and I like it...so using it!! ha!
So, today don't choose the run-of-the-mill, ordinary, "average" way.
Don't continue to trudge down the "middle of the road" kind of life when there's so much more to gain from striving for excellence!
Realize you are a person of worth!
Choose to move in a direction that escalates you above the world of "Averageness!!"
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