"There are countless ways of attaining greatness. But any road to reaching one's maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence and a rejection of mediocrity."
-Buck Rodgers

Greatness. Shouldn't that be what we all strive for in everything that we do? Why is it that so many times, people (myself included) settle for mediocrity. I see it in every aspect of my life. In my classes, I oftentimes find myself doing just enough to get by. There are many times that in my walk with God, I try to search for gray areas. Sometimes I'm not the friend that I should be to people. But what is the point in settling for less than my best in any part of my life? Life isn't about doing the bare minimum. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. And how can your life be something great if you're not striving for greatness in every aspect of it? Whether you believe God created you, or you believe that you were created by some big explosion at the beginning of the universe, or you believe that you evolved from apes- I can guarantee you weren't meant to be mediocre. Each person has inside himself or herself the ability to be something great. But like the quote I put at the beginning of this post, greatness is not something that comes easily. You have to have a commitment to excellence. You have to be driven. You have to believe in yourself.

Tonight, I was with my family celebrating my Aunt's birthday. We watched part of the CBS Evening News together. Here is the link to what I'm going to be talking about if you want to see it.
Eye to Eye: Doctor crusades to make hospitals safer
This was an amazing story about a doctor who is traveling around the country, introducing new safety procedures and equipment to hospitals. You may not think that this is really that big of a deal. But what this doctor is trying to prevent, are the thousands of people that go into the hospital for a routine procedure, and end up dying from infections. This story particularly touched me because of what just happened with my Grandpa. Even though he was in his seventies, he was a perfectly healthy man who went to get a knee replacement. Sure, he did end up having an ulcer, but that wasn't what led to his death. The cause of death given by the doctors was "overwhelming infection throughout the body". (We still haven't gotten the official results of the autopsy). How do things like that happen? This doctor that Katie Couric interviews saw a problem, and he is doing everything in his power to fix it. He refused to settle for mediocrity. There are hundreds of thousands of lives saved in hospitals everyday. We could be satisfied with that. But this man took the initiative to strive for greatness.

Settling for mediocrity is only cheating yourself. Whether you are settling in school, at your job, in your relationships, whatever it may be... you will not experience things to their potential if you don't strive for greatness. Whatever you are doing, do it with passion. Don't cheat yourself, or the people around you, by settling for a life that is merely mediocre.

"If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen for you, to you, and because of you."
- T. Alan Armstrong



"The 'morality of compromise' sounds contradictory. Compromise is usually a sign of weakness, or an admission of defeat. Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised."
-Andrew Carnegie

Compromise. The world is full of it. And at what cost? I've been thinking about this concept in my life a lot lately. So many times people compromise their morals, their principles, their beliefs; just to be accepted, or to feel loved. But how does that accomplish anything? If you compromise who you really are, just to make someone else like you, then they're not even getting to know and like the real you. Why is that we compromise who we are in our relationships with others? There is not a single person in this world that is worth compromising your morals or your beliefs for. Maybe you think that the only way you can keep them in your life is by making this compromise. But if you are compromising what you believe in, just to keep them in your life, then they don't deserve to be a part of your life.
Never let anyone make you feel like you don't deserve them. Because the truth is, you probably deserve much more than what they have to offer. They probably don't deserve you. There are so many great people and great opportunities in this world that will accept you for who you are. Don't ever compromise who you are for anyone or anything.
Along the same lines, we should never expect people to compromise who they are and what they stand for, just for us. Respect people and their beliefs, even if they are different from you. Everybody is a unique individual that deserves to be treasured and respected. Remember that. And don't ever let someone walk away from you believing that they meant nothing to you. People deserve more than that.

"I'd walk through fire before I let them feel like they were nothing."
-Hope Floats



Bottom line for today: You have the ability to be great. Don't settle for mediocrity. Strive for greatness. Never, ever compromise who you are and what you believe in. And don't ever expect anyone to compromise for you. Everybody in this world has immeasurable worth, whether you see it or not. Don't treat people like they are nothing.