I just found this marvelously inspirational thought on a box of Celestial Seasonings tea of all places (Cranberry Apple Zinger in case you’re curious):
“It is a wretched taste to be gratified with mediocrity when the excellent lies before us.” British writer and scholar Isaac D’Israeli
Great thought. Are you just going through the motions? Are you doing the bare minimum just to get yourself through the day?
I truly know what it feels like to have a job that doesn’t inspire - or worse yet one that can be painful at times. But when you spend work day after work day “gratified with mediocrity,” you almost forget that something else - something better - lies waiting for you out there.
How can you find a new job or even make things better for yourself where you are if you’ve forgotten what that good feels like? How can you search for a dream job when the taste is so far away from you?
So just for today, try doing everything you do with your full energy and creativity in gear. No matter what it is. No matter what anyone else is doing or saying. Just as an experiment, engage all gears and see if you can give yourself a ride that feels different.
And savor that taste. You deserve it and it can be yours!
There are other jobs out there where, if not exactly perfect every minute, you can at least feel yourself come alive again and look forward to the next day. And sometimes…yes I’ve done this myself…this can even happen in the very job you have now.
But that’s all about the future. For now, I just want you to see how you and you alone can even make where you are feel different. Right this minute.
Just for today, make it happen for yourself. Throw mediocrity out the window. And notice anything that feels different - even if it’s the tiniest of things. Even small things in your day can make a big difference. And you never know where this discovery will lead you.
And now…for my excellent cup of tea. 
2 responses so far ↓
1 Terry B // Jun 27, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Excellent post! This comment may seem a little off topic, but it follows that same line of thought. Several years ago, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon toured together. The tour was going well and Dylan suggested that they consider extending it a few weeks. Simon asked what would be the point. Dylan answered, “This is what we do.”
I love that. No, we shouldn’t let our work solely define us, but it is a part of who we are, for better or worse. And even if we don’t necessarily like the job we have at the time, by doing the best job we can, we can like ourselves better. And liking ourselves is at the very center of being happy—without it, the even most wonderful of circumstances mean nothing.
2 Ronnie Ann // Jun 27, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Thanks Terry B! Love your Paul Simon/Bob Dylan story. Can almost hear Dylan saying that. Just great.
And your last sentence says it all. Thank you!
Ronnie Ann
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