Do you understand what it means to be mediocre?

For most creative people today, the thought of being mediocre is a major fear.

They think it means producing terrible work, which people would judge to be be worthless.

However, mediocrity actually means something completely different. It relates to being about halfway to your end goal.

As summarised by Todd Henry (who we have previously had on the podcast) in his book Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day:

Mediocrity comes from the Latin words medius, meaning middle, and ocris, meaning rugged mountain. Literally translated, it means to settle halfway to the summit of a difficult mountain. It’s a compromise of abilities and potential; a negotiation between the drive to excel and the biological urge to settle for the most comfortable option.

So if you want to climb to the top of that mountain, you will definitely be mediocre when you are halfway there. It is like how it takes time to build up your skills over time.

The question is, whether you will continue to push forward and finish what you started.

Did you know that scientific evidence shows your creativity decreases over time

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Nick Skillicorn

Chief Editor, Founder & CEO at Improvides Innovation Consulting
Creativity & Innovation expert: I help individuals and companies build their creativity and innovation capabilities, so you can develop the next breakthrough idea which customers love. Chief Editor of Ideatovalue.com and Founder / CEO of Improvides Innovation Consulting. Coach / Speaker / Author / TEDx Speaker / Voted as one of the most influential innovation bloggers.