Beyond Your Limits

Ideas on how to go beyond your limits could fill an entire book, but let's look at just one aspect of this complicated subject: the attainment of a higher level of excellence. This alone could fill several chapters, so I'm going to write about eradicating mediocrity from your environment, as just one aspect of eradicating mediocrity from your life.

I deal with so much paperwork, I have a habit of creating stacks of important stuff, that is not all that important. I drop copies of e-mail, writing notes, and brochures that I don't have places for into an open briefcase beside my desk. When it's time to travel, I take the papers out of my briefcase and stack them near my file cabinets to be dealt with at a future time.

As I write this, there are 12 such stacks awaiting decisions.

And every time I look at those stacks, I say to myself, "Handle that, Richard." This is not a big energy drain, but it is a drain, and an example of mediocrity. Stewart Emery calls such drains, "a tribute to sloppiness." This need to act lingers in the back of my mind, pulling on me. And I lose a little power that could be focused upon a worthwhile project.

Let's project this concept to your refrigerator and food hiding in the back that needs to be thrown away? Outdated canned goods in cupboard? The trunk of your car? The glove compartment? Your garage? In our living room, there are stains on the couch that need to be removed. I have had "upholstery cleaner" on my to-do list of things to purchase for over a month. I've crossed off everything else on the list, then had to transfer "upholstery cleaner" to the next list and the next. It has become a minor issue between me and myself -- enough of an issue to have inspired this column.

At our house, we have a kitchen drawer where everyone in the family tosses things they don't have a place for. Every time I open that drawer I am reminded that it needs to be dealt with. I just took a break to refill my coffee cup, and I looked in the drawer. I found coupons that expired in 2001. There are several broken parts to things I cannot even imagine we ever owned. And there was a single chopstick.

This may sound silly to you. But to me it is a reminder that mediocrity is acceptable.

What if you were to remove from your environment, everything that reminds you that mediocrity is okay? Take an inventory. Note all those things that rob you of power and support your being average.

The next question is, "Am I willing to change?"

I don't know about you, but I'm going to save these words, then get rid of twelve stacks of papers I will never miss, and put my briefcase in the closet. Next, I'm going to empty that kitchen drawer. I may keep the one chopstick because the other one must linger around here somewhere. Then I'm going to the store and purchase upholstery cleaner.