It is just too easy to become mediocre
Today, I ride a motorcycle taxi (or in Bahasa Indonesia called Ojek) via a ride-hailing application, a service open by my employer (I still pay tho), Go-Jek. I ride it on my way to the office. Unlike usual, I am not feeling good about it. The Ojek driver wears a very dirty Go-Jek driver jacket, seems not washed since months ago, the motorcycle and the helmet are also dirty. Yes, I know what I can expect from a cheap ride-hailing service like this. However what I want to point out is that this situation contrasted with another driver I go with several days ago. While an average driver is usually not wearing a very clean and shiny green driver jacket, this one is always using a clean and shiny one every time I go with this driver, the motorcycle is not a new model, but it is well maintained and clean enough.
After that story, I began to think. When I was in college, it is pretty easy to find some fellow students that submit mediocre paper and assignment to the professor, let alone only copy and paste from some sources. In some places I ever faced, it is also easy to submit poor pull request of new code changes for a new feature. Or some software engineer submits a code without a test. It is just too easy to be mediocre. I remember a rule I develop myself called the rule of +1, yeah, plus one. If you at least able to surpass the average by doing +1 effort, you’ll be lucky.
I remember a rule I develop myself called the rule of +1, yeah, plus one. If you at least able to surpass the average by doing +1 effort, you’ll be lucky.
If an average student submits a poorly written paper without no references and just copy paste and you in the other hand submit just enough paper with a good reference, you’ll be included in elite classification by the professor. If you do better at least one thing from your fellow coworker, you may be included in an elite employee with above average percentage of salary rise. It is just too easy to become mediocre but is also easy (but not too easy) to be better than average. Perfection is many little things done right.
Perfection is many little things done right.
I know you’re sometimes unmotivated and don’t want to go from your convenient, but remember the little things you did wrong in exchange for your little convenient time is not worth the opportunity.
Another story. When I go home from my office to my home. I see a construction worker hostel where there is a construction worker read some books above the roof (because I believe it is very hot inside the hostel) while the other is watching TV, sleeping or just talking with each other. I didn’t say watching TV, sleeping or just talking with each other are a bad activity, it is just very inspiring that the construction worker spent the time to learn and read in a very tiring job. I hope his luck will come soon.
Regardless your profession or job, you’ll always able to be better at your job if you put at least +1 effort than average people. If your work not yielding some result yet, don’t give up, keep looking! You’ll meet your luck soon! Whether you’re a taxi driver, or construction worker or doctor, or teacher or CEO of a company, I believe there is always a way to become mediocre and there is always a way to be better than the other.
Note: What I mean by luck here is when you well prepared and you meet the right opportunity 😀
