 I heard this on the radio the other morning, and I've been working it over in order to apply it to My Own life for the last few days. I think I've got it now, so I'm going to share it with you.
"Do not be proud of excelling at mediocrity."
Wow. So I looked around My life, and actually noticed some things. There are about 800 kids in school where I teach, and we have a little speed and talent. But what does it mean to say 'I'm the fastest guy in My school' if that 'fastest' is a 5.1 second forty yard dash? 5.1 isn't fast, it's average at best... it's not even fast average... it's just... average.
OK. I kept looking, and found a real life example. The fastest athlete I ever personally had the true privilege of coaching ran an electronically timed 4.23 forty yard dash. He was not mediocre, not at all. He measured himself against fast athletes all the time. He saw the big picture, by getting out of the fishbowl he was in, and seeing what 'fast' really was. My other real world example is a 17 year old powerlifter I coached years ago. In the 198 pound weight class, he scratched his first attempt in the squat every time he lifted... it got to be part of his routine, and we made our plans accordingly. This young man set the state record in the squat at 760 pounds, and scratched his first attempt… at 225… He was not mediocre either.
I coach football and powerlifting where I teach now. Football is a wonderful sport that teaches lots of great things. It also however provides the opportunity to blame someone else when things go wrong. ‘ The quarterback threw an interception.’ ‘The defense didn’t hold.’ ‘Special teams gave up too many points.’ And My personal favorite: ‘The offensive line didn’t block.’ It’s easy to blame someone else. Powerlifting, bodybuilding, wrestling, boxing, martial arts… what they have in common are several things. First, it’s only you… and you’re measuring your personal ability against someone or several someones. Second, you’re doing that in front of an audience. You’re setting yourself out in public and saying ‘Look at me… I’m special.’ That’s all well and good if you do well… but what about when you don’t? You can’t blame the quarterback, the defense, special teams, or the offensive line; you just weren’t as good as the opposition that day. If you have been in your own little fishbowl, the effects can be devastating, especially if you’re in fact proud of being great at being mediocre.
When I’m asked, as I always am, how strong I am, My response is always the same: ‘not strong enough’. There is always someone stronger, and I simply may not have met that person yet. I just competed in My first ever powerlifting meet, and set state records for My age and weight category. Don’t get excited… I didn’t lift that much, there just aren’t that many powerlifters in My age group out there. Perhaps the most humbling experience of My life was watching a 198 pound ‘master’ lift more than I did at 268… he’s 71, and I’m 50. That day may have been My best example of not being proud of doing well at mediocrity… I got out of My Own fishbowl, and measured Myself against others who do what I do… I learned that courage comes in many forms, and I learned that those kids that I routinely take to powerlifting meets have more of it than perhaps any other athlete I’ve ever coached. They take the chance of being looked down on, perhaps even being ridiculed, if their efforts are not up to someone else’s nebulous standards of ‘greatness.’ I have gained so much respect for these young men and women that I really can’t begin to put that respect into words.
I’m not proud of how MUCH I lift any longer… but I can certainly take pride in the fact that I still get into the gym at all, when so many of us stay in our own little fishbowls and never see just how good other folks are.
I’ll leave you with this thought,
"Do not be proud of excelling at mediocrity."
Have a great day,
Bernard Guinard "Coach Bear" |
