I believe that there are several reasons people might “settle for mediocrity.” First of all, if a task doesn’t interest somebody, then they are not going to go above the accepted standards when it comes to completing it--this is something I see in school all the time. Second of all, people want to fit in. They might underperform in order to feel more like the rest of the group.
However, I don’t believe that anybody’s completely, one hundred percent mediocre in everything: everybody has their passions. A kid who slacks off in math class might be completely devoted to a sport, and vice versa. In middle school, I never put any more effort into sports than was necessary, but I always devoted hours to book projects and never felt that they were properly completed.
“Ambition” and “happiness” are usually seen as polar opposites: it’s seen as impossible to both reach for success and be content with how your life is right now. I don’t believe that’s completely true, although it’s not completely false, either. In music, for example, it’s a common belief that the groups who felt satisfied with their performance usually performed worse that the groups who walked away obsessing over the details they got wrong, but after they received their score, who do you think felt more satisfied?
However, I don’t believe that anybody’s completely, one hundred percent mediocre in everything: everybody has their passions. A kid who slacks off in math class might be completely devoted to a sport, and vice versa. In middle school, I never put any more effort into sports than was necessary, but I always devoted hours to book projects and never felt that they were properly completed.
“Ambition” and “happiness” are usually seen as polar opposites: it’s seen as impossible to both reach for success and be content with how your life is right now. I don’t believe that’s completely true, although it’s not completely false, either. In music, for example, it’s a common belief that the groups who felt satisfied with their performance usually performed worse that the groups who walked away obsessing over the details they got wrong, but after they received their score, who do you think felt more satisfied?