Thus once said French novelist Jean Giraudoux. Think about this for a moment. At first it looks like it’s a statement about “the mediocre” – you know, lots of other people — slackers — but not yourself, right? But then you think about it some more and the meaning shifts a bit.
You’re not a “mediocre” person; thus you’re not always at your best. The statement implies that high achievers are the ones not always at their best. This means that even you, a high achiever, someone really motivated and hard-working, aren’t always at your best. You have your off-days, your off-seasons, maybe even your off-year.
It’s quite uplifting, actually, because this statement hints at the fact that even if you’re a peak performer, the very nature of peak performance involves peaks. And thus also valleys. If you’re pushing yourself to the limit, you’re de facto going to encounter peaks and troughs as you expand your sphere of action, knowledge and experience. If you didn’t – if you never had troughs – you’d remain at the same edge all the time. And if the edge is smooth, it’s not cutting edge.
But wait – isn’t it possible to just keep on one peak, keep pushing that peak higher and higher, and slowly but surely just consistently walk up your own personal Mount Everest? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate form of true personal success, the ultimate cutting self-edge? Good question. To this I would just say, think back to the time when you last hiked up a mountain or other steep ridge. Or the last time you enjoyed a ski lift or other cable-car ride up a mountain. Did you only look upwards, at where you going? I doubt it. We always like to stop to rest and look down at how far we’ve come.
I think these little “stops” serve for at least two reasons. One is the fact that our bodies are finite entities and we need to rest them. Hence the sleep we need each night, even under normal circumstances. The second is that these “rest stops” help make our journey intelligible as we continue it. We look down to see how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go. Part celebration, but also part gauging what resources we will need to keep on going.
If you feel you’re spinning your wheels, or if you feel your head is spinning, take a moment to rest and look back at what you’ve achieved. You could very well be spinning because you’ve been pushing at your own limits. Be glad for these limits, because they tell you you’re living at your life’s own edge (or at least, one of the edges of your life). The limit is not a pleasant feeling, because you’re literally stretching the bounds of your own habitual experience. But this is how we strengthen our muscles and our minds. You haven’t fallen off your path; you’re just taking the needed break that will enable you to push further again when you’re ready.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
A related concept is that if you’re on top, the only place to go is down, and some folks just don’t want to risk that “change of state” so they stay in the “safe zone.” Achievers don’t listen to that kind of talk. If Tiger Woods doesn’t win the game every time, we tend to take a dim view of him, yet there has never been a better golfer. Richard Burton never won an Academy Award, but he was a brilliant actor. You can see the risk of being at your peak.
This is where “self talk” comes in handy. The higher achievers must continually remind themselves of what they’ve done, what remains to be done, how to improve their performance and so forth. That’s the look back across the mountain view as you climb your way up. Higher achievers also have to remind themselves that they are risk takers, movers, makers and shakers, and therefore are in the “kill zone” with respect to criticism and risk of setback.
It takes courage and vision to “make dust,” but the alternative is you “eat dust,” and that idea keeps many of us moving forward toward achievement. We all have choices to be watchers or doers, and choices have consequences.
Some keys to success for me are:
- think it through and plan it well
- realize what I can do and what my limits are
- challenge myself to learn, grow and achieve
- recognize that being uncomfortable is often necessary for achievement
- follow my vision of success, even in a storm
- stop listening to those sitting on the bench
- encourage others by your words and example
Once an employee of mine came to me with a concern about comments and criticism he was getting from students in a class we were teaching together. I simply told him that the reason we were up in front teaching the class was because we were capable of doing it, and the reason some students were “throwing eggs” at us was because that was what they were capable of doing. I told him that if they had anywhere near our drive, skill, knowledge, experience and courage, they’d be teaching the class. Instead, they were doing what they were good at – criticizing the achievers around them and sitting on the bench.
Clair
Clair, I think your last point makes a lot of sense (although the students are probably still school age, right, so they’re not going to be teaching yet anyway) – once you start sticking out from the herd in anyway you become an easy target for all kinds of criticism and negativity, which seems to be humans’ default state unless we really work at it.:) I guess when some people see passion, perhaps if they’re not ready to accept that challenge in themselves (ie., to also get inspired), it’s some kind of defense mechanism to make fun of it or pass it off instead. What does anyone else think?