WOW’s Nemesis is Mediocrity
Do you ever get sick of being mediocre? I do. How’s that for honesty. 
I don’t get up in the morning and think “I want to be mediocre today” but for some reason, the day and a lot of the work I do ends up feeling mediocre. Gotta change that!
Bland buildings in Ottawa, Canada that are so "not" wow.
These are some other places I meet with mediocrity:
- When I (or a client) chickens out when I/they see a large heading of text on a page and say “Oh, no, we can’t have text that big.” So, the big, bold text gets reduced. Result: mediocre, bland design
- When members of the symphony start leaving the stage before the applause has stopped. Result: mediocre audience experience
- When I let a day go by with countless, trivial pursuits instead of focusing on one or two important pursuits. Result: mediocre feeling
- When I meet “leaders” who don’t lead but are just putting in time. Result: mediocre organizations and companies
The list goes on and on.
Why do we choose this route instead of making everything we do “WOW”?
I think when we try to be WOW, we are afraid we will rock the boat. We may fail.
I have to start doing more WOW work and less mediocre work. I have to start choosing more of what excites me or at least finding the ways to make some of what I already do more “wow.”
WOW work can be simply work that excites you personally (damn the torpedoes). My blog excites me. I’m learning as I go. I’m making mistakes. People are probably laughing at me. That’s ok. I’m having fun.
What are you doing that makes you feel WOW and gets rid of mediocrity?
Even on a grey day, the chimneys on this building by Gaudi in Barcelona make you say "WOW" (photo by John McLachlan)
