“Mediocrity Is Not My Portion”

*a-4-minute-read*

Your birthday is typically a day of celebration, joyous memories, and cutting a cake, but for the mandem most of the time, it’s just another day on the calendar (we still thank God our Lord and Saviour). I did decide to throw on my introspective cap and cook up (standard abbreviation for create) an article that had been weighing heavy on my mind for the past couple of days.

From the quote above you can see I spend a lot of time on Twitter, but I promise you it’s for research purposes only (and occasional Arsenal/Lakers slander).

Living in Canada, the streets are looking as treacherous as ever and many changes are affecting us all from top to bottom. The weather is moving with criminal intent, it’s tough out here for the people still looking to find their career and fund their passion, but having kids and getting married seems to be easier than both so… (let me chill, let me chill).

I am here to remind you there is still hope if you continue to dream big and not settle for anything less because of others. You must leave them in their dusty (standard abbreviation for trash) mindset before you get trapped in the dreaded cycle of “it is what it is” statements flooding your vocabulary.

To expand on these complacent statements, we have to dive deeper into the psyche and understand it on a natural and psychological level (people really take a couple psychology classes in university and think they are experts all of a sudden lol—I am people).

“That’s The Way It Goes”

Ladies and gentlemen, there are moments in life when you simply have to embrace things as they are. Reflect on this, and let me know if you share the same perspective.

• Toronto is still a top 5 destination in the summertime.
• Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.
• Coconut milk reigns supreme over all the milk in the land God has allowed us to inherit.

I don’t make the rules, it just is what it is, and we have to abide by the statements above because it is not a debate and I will not stand for anything less.

But in all seriousness, there are other statements I hear continuously where mindset replaces fact, to the point where your perspective is the ultimate decider of how you allow situations to impact you. Take the following for example:

• I will never be able to accomplish anything because everything is too expensive.
• There are not enough hours in the day to do everything I need to get done.
• Why should I try when everything is set up for us to fail?

I understand where people are coming from when saying the points above, and looking at it from a psychological outlook, you can see how there may be some truth to it (emphasis on the some).

For many of us, 24 hours in a day often feels like it’s never enough. Some occupations demand extended hours, leaving little time to focus on honing your craft. In Ontario, Canada, a junior chicken combo from McDonald’s is $7.68 before tax, which is absolutely preposterous, so I’ll be the first to sympathize with the streets about everything being too expensive.

No one wants to stay in a place with limited growth opportunities, overpriced necessities, and a system that shows little care for the people it’s meant to serve. The key is to reject the idea that this is all there is for you. Believe in better days ahead, and by valuing yourself and taking action, you can make them a reality.

The dreadful times are unavoidable sometimes, but you must commit to fighting back and not losing sight of your goal. Accepting things as they are cannot always be the answer if you want to make it out. Otherwise, you stay trapped in believing ‘that’s how it goes,’ when it doesn’t have to be moving forward.

The life you want to achieve can be attainable if you go all out—let’s not play around with the truth here. The hours keep adding up, but if you are not devoted to stacking days, you will not make it out. But we want to see better for ourselves. I truly believe the mindset can be flipped and dragged out of the gutter permanently if you pledge to make the necessary sacrifices.

Sacrifices

It’s my word of the year. I have found it interesting how you can relate many experiences back to one word when you keep it as a priority. If you haven’t guessed already, I am talking about sacrifices, and to reach the goals I’ve set for myself, I’ve realized that sacrifices will be necessary—letting go of certain things in my life to propel me toward where I want to be.

One of my favorite athletes ever, Kobe Bryant (RIP), reminds me of the steps you need to take to see where you want to go and why it is essential for this to be a daily practice. Consider the quote below.

For a long stretch of my life, whenever someone asked me, “What do you fear?” I’d start with a joke about a receding hairline, share a laugh, and then lock in (standard abbreviation for get serious) and share the truth. My two main answers were always the same: God and failure.

Failure is top 3 WORST feeling in the world (let’s tell the truth on my birthday, thanks), and the emotions you unleash when you fail usually aren’t the most enjoyable at that time. As I’ve grown, I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of failure for the invaluable lessons it provides, shaping us into the best versions of ourselves.

Success cannot exist without failure, and embracing it is essential; without that acceptance, failure becomes a constant companion and kickstarts the “it is what it is” cycle I alluded to earlier.

Sacrifices will help you appreciate why discipline is so important. By sacrificing your ego and admitting you’re not yet where you need to be, you open the door to future growth. Sacrificing a fear of failure will allow you to embrace the journey of getting things wrong and building yourself back up.

Thank You

I have embraced trying new things and the opportunities and doors it has opened up for me is a testimony to the full article I have written today. I could go on for a few hours, but I will let you digest this word and take what you need to take from it.

I hope you found this an inspiring read and a reminder to keep dreaming big and never let mediocrity hold you back. Mediocrity is not my portion, and I pray it will stay as far as it needs to from you, too.

I got an A in psych by the way, if anyone cares—now you know why innit.

Today is my birthday and I wish for greater blessings and for you to share this article with someone! Plus answer the question below!

What Is Your “Word” Of 2025?