When we make the initial decision to start taking the steps in order to transform our dreams into realities, it often becomes difficult not to infatuate with those who are the most skilled with the craft at hand. Those who wish to become a professional basketball player often fantasize about Michael Jordan. Some who desire to be the next blockbuster movie director or producer often visualize Quentin Tarantino. Of the many hopeful novelists, several might desire to become the next Kurt Vonnegut.
No matter the particular subject, expertise, or dream, there are always quintessential ‘top dogs’ who are held in an elite category of ‘untouchable-ness’.
The initial spark we have for a certain ambition can be quickly defused after we realize that it’s a lot harder than it looks. It’s always imperative to shoot for the stars in respects to your own personal potential, but these geniuses and stellar performers didn’t just try something for the first time and instantly become a NBA Champion, Academy Award Winner, or Hugo Award winning author overnight. Things like this normally take a large amount of time and practice as well as a heaping amount of unfailing courage and continued patience.
The problem here is that we have a tendency to compare our practice work, our scribbling in a pad, our attempts and misses to the creations of the most successful people who have done it for the past few centuries. Plain and simple, we are afraid to stink, afraid to fail, and afraid to put in the hours needed to get better. What it really comes down to is: we are paranoid that we will end up in The Middle.
This term signifies everyone’s want to be good at what they’re passionate about. This is a consistent and nonnegotiable fact of anyone who has dreams. However, the reality is that we have to…well…be willing to suck at what we do in order to get better. We must realize that there will almost always be someone out there who is worse at what we are doing and, on the flipside, someone who is much better at it. We must accept and respect our time in The Middle.
Now, to clarify, I am not insinuating that ‘The Middle’ is a decent and ideal place to settle or that this is the final destination we should strive for. I’ve said time and time again that complacency and settling are the components of a life not completely fulfilled or utilized. But this is worth reiterating: we have to be willing to spend weeks, months, even years in this middle ground if we ever hope to walk and dance amongst the greats.
Always Looking Up 