The demand to be a top class performer is not coming from your boss or your company or from your college, it is coming from ‘life’.

Being average is a 100% mindset issue and it is NOT a capability issue. People who end up average show a few characteristics.

1. They are risk averse. They want to play safe, pick safe roles, make safe choices, and avoid pushing boundaries. Their comfort zones are super precious for them.

2. They often waste time. They rarely complete things on time and are constantly postponing their work as much as they can.

3. They find other average performers and waste time as a team. They are sarcastic towards people who are attempting to perform well. Gossiping, complaining to each other about a third person, back biting, scrolling on social media, politicising an issue, are some examples of group time waste.

4. They talk a lot but do little. They brag and drag or they attempt to garner sympathy and they hate being accountable.

5. They externalise everything. It is always someone’s problem and never their responsibility or accountability.

6. Their time management and scheduling is weak. They may plan but they rarely follow up on their plans.

To be kind to the average performers, research has found that their manager / parents / teachers tend to look at efforts and not at results. If they find efforts to be of a high order, then they give up on demanding better results and allow their ward to stay average. Sometimes, the wards get pampering for the ‘effort’ irrespective of the results. This justifies being average in their sub conscious minds.

Here is my ONE POINT suggestion to you – Find a role model at work who inspires you and stick around with them. Model them. Be their shadow. Be in their shadow. Just for 100 days.

The truth is, this world will always be filled with average performers. They will be the complaint boxes and frustrated specimens of our species. They are NOT YOUR REFERENCE points. The inspiring people and the top class performers are YOUR reference points. This is a choice you MUST make.

If you do not demand more from yourself, you will be left behind unceremoniously. Jealously, sadness, self pity, self loathing, will be your mates. You DO NOT want that. Don’t stay average. There is no advantage in being average.