There is neither need nor necessity to wallow in the trough of mediocrity!
Hey everyone,
A few days ago, @traciyork encouraged me to join her motivational quote "challenge", and I spent some time online searching for the perfect quote. After several searches, and not really finding what I was looking for, I decided to share with all of you a quote I used to have pasted around my classroom walls. For those of you who don't know, I taught high school English, History ESL, and Special Needs for many years...and I actually loved it! Seriously :)
Those of you who have parented teenagers, or all of you that were once one, know that there is an inherent sloth in many teens, and I found that the old adage of "good enough" often came into play. Handing in an assignment, I would often hear, "There you go Ms. Coyle; I'm done, it's good enough"; it was something I quickly grew tired of hearing. I used to stress the fact that I never walked in to teach them with the feeling that what I was about to do was going to be good enough, and I quite simply expected the same level of commitment from them.
Eventually I created a HUGE banner and plastered it around my classroom walls; I began each semester talking about what it meant, along with my expectations of myself and of my students. This is what I wrote:
We are all here to learn something new, AND to learn from our mistakes. There's no such thing as failure, because failure is only an opportunity to learn. There are no good excuses. But most importantly, there's neither need nor necessity to wallow in the trough of mediocrity.
It's how I have lived my life, and how I will continue to live my life until my days here are done. Life is about learning, it's about learning from our failures and it's about doing the very best you can, every single day!
That is what motivates me when I wake up in the morning. I ask myself, "How can I be the best Lynn Coyle today?" And I'm able to comfortably rest my head on my pillow at night, knowing that I fulfilled that quest.
I visited with old friend the other night, and I was telling her about giving money to a family that I could tell was in need some time ago here in Mexico. She looked at me like I had horns sticking out of my head and I naturally asked her what she was thinking. She found it so strange that I had seen this family sitting at night, with all of their children and their belongings and took it upon myself to go find out what their story was. They needed help. I gave it to them. Pretty simple in my books; not so much in hers.
There is no need to wallow in the trough of mediocrity as a human being. We are all we've got!
So please, just be the best insert your name here you can be!
This is the spot where I am supposed to tag people to join in. I'm skipping that, but what I would love, is if you have a favorite motivational or inspirational quote, please include it in your comments. If you want to do your own post, by all means jump on the motivational wagon ;)
Cheers!!
Proud Member of :
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"It always seems impossible until it's done" Nelson Mandela.
That is a wonderful quote @engchitchat, and so true!!
Great post @lynnecoyle..
I'm a newbie and someone recommended you to help in enlightening me on proper image sourcing..
Thank you @hemannsol and welcome to steemit :)
Here is a post I did some time ago about proper image sourcing. Be sure and read through the comments, specifically to @shai-hulud's comment on how to hide the link so you only see Source below a picture.
Hope this helps, but feel free to come back here and ask me if you have any questions :)
Thanks
You are welcome! Hope it helps :)
When I saw your title and your post, I recalled this little quote,
It's a constant reminder that it's ok to break out of the expectations of mediocrity, to challenge ourselves without needing the nod of others, to color outside the lines for once and not be worried that we will be frown upon.
Thanks you for the reminder.
What a wonderful quote @maverickfoo! I absolutely love it :)
We really are such powerful creatures, and oddly enough, we use such a small percentage of our brain capacity at any given moment. If we only could harness that power, and not be frightened by it, or as you say, be so concerned about what other's think.
I didn't say it in my post, but I taught at a Fine Arts School and my motto always was to colour outside of the lines...in life. The school basically had the same ideals and the majority of those students excelled precisely because they weren't concerned about what other's thought. I am so thankful to have spent so many years at that school, and watched so many of my students move on to do amazing things with their lives.
Thank you again for an awesome comment!
Not sure where I heard this but this one fits your post:
Check your excuses at the door and lets get some shit done today!
But how can you not love the wisdom gained from the little green master Yoda
hahaha that sounds like a saying my father would have used :)
And good ol' Yoda...there is no such thing as 'try' , just 'do'...wise words from the master!!
I really don't have any favorite quotes, perse. But there's a couple I've collected in the last several months that I'll throw in for consideration. The first apparently was a tweet originally (I found it quoted somewhere else):
I liked it because of a couple of things.
In some cases, complaining informs someone of an injustice or something that needs to be rectified, but too often it solves nothing.
Instead of fighting the system, make it moot, or obsolete, by creating something where the status quo and the current rules don't apply.
I like it even more because of STEEM.
The second quote I have is from a fictional superhero, Captain America, but someone had to write it, or adapt it from another source. In other words, an actual human wrote this:
I especially like the last part. If the whole world tells you to move because you're not going along with them, but you feel in your heart that you are doing the right thing then:
The top quote is awesome; and you're right! I always said to my kids, quit bitchin' about it and do something to change it. Once again, you're a bit more eloquent than me :)
My youngest, one time in elementary school (grade 4), was complaining that our school didn't have a tether ball game on the playground. I gave him my "quit bitchin" about it quote and he stomped off to his room, but came down a hour later to show me a power point presentation he'd prepared. I signed him up for the PAC (parent advisory committee) meeting and he presented it. They were so impressed, a tether ball pole was installed one week later!! Chip of the ol' block, that one haha
I especially like the exact same piece you chose out of Captain America's speech too. It's such a difficult thing to do...stand up for what is right, against a group no less, but we must follow our hearts regardless.
Thanks Glen :)
It's pretty interesting to me how we often react to those who complain. There may be times where we sympathize, particularly at the beginning, but after a while, even though the nature of the original injustice or reason for the complaint hasn't changed, we basically tell people to just deal with it. As in the nature of things aren't going to change just by complaining.
What needs to follow, and I'm fairly guilty of this still, is to include some instruction, such as, "What are you going to do about it?" and then help to brainstorm possible avenues and solutions to pursue. In your case, your son was motivated enough to come up with something on his own, which is actually the best thing, but in other cases, there might be a need for a nudge. :)
We certainly don't want injustices, and we certainly don't want our children thinking that it's never okay to complain—because that can equate to reporting a wrong that no one else knows about, but we also don't want them growing up thinking that just complaining is going to resolve every issue.
re: river of truth
This for me is the hardest. We're not only talking what we believe to be right, but the actual truth. That can be hard to know, especially when the entire world is going the other way. In my case, I need to rely on a higher power than I'm capable of, but regardless of the source, or how we arrive, it's a key element. If we're wrong in our stance, sure we stood up for what is right, but then we will regret it if it turns out to be wrong. So, a tricky deal, which makes me admire the Captain Americas of the world even more. :)
After my grandfather died, I remember my grandmother saying that she never complained about being alone because all of the people who visited her would simply stop coming, because "who wants to listen to that all day". She understood what you are saying; people have sympathy for a while and then, it's "shape up or ship out" kind of thing. I should add that they were married for 65 years; she was an amazing woman.
I think you hit the nail on the head though, especially with children; we need to brainstorm together and/or offer alternatives, because yes, they will complain, but kids are so self-centered that they can't help but focus solely on the pain and trauma being done to them:) It's our job to change that focus. I guess it's the same for some adults as well...unfortunately.
re: the river of truth
From what little I know about you Glen, I think you would be a "Captain America" if you felt strongly enough about something.
You just made me remember something from when I was in grade 2 or 3, if you can believe it! I remember a girl named Liza, and for whatever reason, she was the one that a lot of kids picked on. One day I saw it happening; everyone was playing a game and she was being excluded. I didn't understand all of it at that age, but I can still remember how sorry I felt for her, standing there, alone. I remember my sweaty palms still...convincing myself to go stand beside her too. I mustered up the courage and did just that, and I can still see her buck-toothed smile as I type this. Funny enough, I don't remember anything that happened after it. I guess that wasn't the important part.
Perhaps it's empathy we also need to be teaching children.
That's a great story. It really shouldn't be that hard to stand up for others, but it can be. Personally, I think that speaks volumes about you, and the person you've grown to be.
I don't think I really fit in with any groups myself, but I shuttled back and forth between a few. I wasn't super smart, but I was smart enough to hang out with the really smart kids. I wasn't much of an athlete, but I was good enough and enjoyed it enough to hang out with them. I joined the Drama club, which is a whole different set of kids, a lot of them who didn't fit in anywhere else, so they formed their own cliche.
So, within those groups you had the popular and not, the well off and not, and the go getters, the coaters, and the perpetually picked on. I think I managed to float among most if not all of them. Too bad I was mostly an introvert to boot, or I might have enjoyed it all. :)
I remember eating sack lunch with four or five other kids who were like me, not really attached to any specific group, but moving between them because of our scholastic, athletic or expressive capabilities.
Kind of weird to look back on it. Glad I don't need to go through that ever again. :)
I don't know about being Captain America, but I do find myself increasingly on the opposite end of decisions and arguments that the majority seem to be making. I can be contrarian, though, so I don't know if that's just me taking the opposite side just to do it, or if it's because it's the right thing. It's hard to know sometimes.
I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I mused on it for some time after I wrote that wondering if Liza remembers it also. My parents were big on empathy, so it certainly shaped who I am today. When I was younger, my empathy was easy pickins' for those looking to take advantage, and it happened a couple times, but thankfully I'm also smart and figured out how to be both:)
You could not pay me to go back to my high school years either. I think it's a pretty tough time for the majority of people, except those who peak in high school, and are forever looking longingly back on the good ol' days :)
Now listen! Don't be that guy who holds the opposite opinion just because it's the opposite opinion! I think you are way smarter than that ;)
Intelligence, in my case, doesn't seem to matter, or else I'm not that smart. It just happens. It's like I should have become a professional at debating or something. if I know the sides, I don't have to agree with them to adequately debate them. Someone says something and a counter argument just materializes. It can actually be quite annoying sometimes because I just want to agree and let it go. :)
Aside for the first three and a half years of elementary school (things changed in fourth grade when we moved over Christmas break), high school is the next best time for me. Which should tell you how my middle school years went. :)
I think I started coming out of my shell a little more in high school after pretty much being pounded into it during middle school, so that's something. As I said, though, being humbled to some degree was good for me. The road I was on, even if I was young, was not a good one and I needed to be taken off of it, since I wasn't likely to do it myself.
You've got some good and not-so-good stories I'm hearing then!
Ugh! Middle school is the worst! I despise the entire concept actually.
Really good advice and it's really just as simple as that. Be your best. I've actually forgotten about this one so thank you for the reminder.
You are so welcome @jusipassetti :) Glad I reminded you! And you're right...it is "just as simple as that"!!
You should start the ”how many sign-off images can one person have” challenge. You’d win for sure.
Good quote by the way.
:)
Smart ass :) That's funny though, because I was trying to figure out how to make them smaller, but it was so late last night, I decided to figure it out for my next post. I am proud of my memberships, but it is getting rather ridiculously large!
Glad you liked the quote ;)
I was just teasing you. Aussies do that a lot. It’s part of our culture. We pick on people we like the most. :)
haha I know. A bit like the boys I knew in Grade 8 :)
See? I know how to tease as well haha
Exactly! I’ve been told my IQ is equivalent to a 7th grader so it makes complete sense.
Then I'll take it all as a compliment, young man :)
It's a difficult thing to do, to balance what you can do with what you can really do... (or should do)
Mediocrity is definitely a huge problem in our world around us - but so is the drive for perfectionism!
Do the best you can do, but also be willing to accept that your best might not be someone else's best... or that your best today might be less than your best a year ago... or that you need to place a higher priority on something else to apply your best to!
You are absolutely correct! Mediocrity and perfectionism are both curses; an individual's best is somewhere in between I think :)
I suspect you are right.
I was also realizing earlier that perfectionism is actually (sometimes, anyway) a form of arrogance - the idea that what you think is right/best for you is higher than other people's... but that's being, perhaps, too cynical...
You might be on to something there...and yes, a little cynical too haha
I always like that one but its not really inspirational . ok ok Heres one
this I say all the time and live by it
" Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves "
that's my quote from Emily Dickinson
I might have said it before her and she just wrote it down not to sure though , it was a long time ago
hahaha I didn't realize you were so funny! I like the 'good egg' one, inspirational or not:) And the second one is really clever; we can all "do small things in a great way"! But your last one is especially true for me. Life really does seem to 'work out' when the little stuff is taken care of.
You must be really old hahaha
grumpy old man . that Emily what a joker she was :)
most people don't know who or when Emily was
the third is my favorite and have use many time
I left msg with what we talked about before
oh I know Emily :)
The third one is a keeper for sure!
And, yes, I'm so glad you joined the Curation Leagues ;)
I love this Desmond Tutu quote:
It doesn't matter what others think or do or say, just do it. There's a sense of what I may call 'utter rightness' in 'little bits of good' that is universal, that everyone recognizes, even if/when they fight against, ignore or pretend not to notice them.
What an awesome comment! I completely agree!
Beautifully said. Thank you so much for commenting here, I really appreciate it!
You're most welcome.