 I read a story in Jack Canfield's book, The Success Principle about a man named Dave Beers. He was a 40-year-old who has a music business that was doing well financially. However, he got a job working in a mailroom of a TV station to augment his income. He had a wife who was expecting a baby at this time. Whilst Dave Beers worked in his mailroom, there were a few other talented kids who worked with him in the mailroom. The kids complained and grumbled about every tax they were told to do. Contrarily, Steve Beers worked harder. He did more than he was told. When an employee needed help in the company, Steve Beers was always there to help. Soon, the company staff were talking about him. Have you heard about the new guy? They said, he works pretty hard. The boss heard it but said nothing. If anyone needed anything and Steve Beers heard, he would go out of his ways to get that thing done. Once, he was in the car with his boss. He heard his boss mention he needed his suit cleaned for a function he would be attending soon. The next day, Steve Beers delivered that suit to his boss, cleaned. Asked how he got it. Steve said, I went to your house, got it from your wife, and got it cleaned. The boss was odd. When two of the company's producers suggested that Steve Beers be made an associate producer for two new shows. The boss, of course, gladly agreed to it. Steve was never a writer. He was never skilled in TV shows production, but he went on to build even more shows and became great. He walked in the mailroom doing much more than the average person does, never demanding compensation for his efforts. Because he learned to do more, never settling for average, he was made more. Determined to never settle for mediocrity. The average youngster settles for average. Don't you believe me? When was the last time you did something you were too afraid to do? When was the last time you challenged yourself to read more books, go somewhere you haven't visited before, or do something beyond what you've always done? When was the last time you challenged yourself to do better than you did yesterday, last week, last month, or last year? Mediocrity is an attitude. And as attitude is a choice, mediocrity is a choice. A mediocre blame people and circumstances, but never himself. He has 100 megawatt capacity but gives out only 10 watts. The average under 30 grumbles and complains when he is told to dream and do more. But you see, my business isn't with the average under 30. My business is with you. Every time you settle for less, you get less than you settled for. Every time you go beyond average, you get much more than you do. Doing more pays as much also as average pays. Being sleep short in your commitment to work will eventually put you in a place where average people go, nowhere. Becoming the best you could ever be will demand that you do more than the average does. It doesn't necessarily mean that you pack in more responsibilities into your to-do list every day. But it does mean that whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, as King Solomon said in the Bible. Be the best at what you do. Michael Dell of Dell Computers admits he would travel the world until he finds the best person for the job. If what you do is what orders can do, then you are not doing things differently. If you aren't going the extra mile in all you do, you aren't going to lead the park. Are you a high school student? Build the determination to be the best student ever? Do you live with your guardian? Desire to be the best kid? No. I'm not telling you to compete with anyone to live your life trying to be better than everyone else. That's a ticket to a frustrating life. Instead, I'm asking you to stretch yourself beyond the shores of mediocrity, because we are all as limited as we think. We can do more than we think we can. As Jesus said, all things are possible to him who believes. We can so often outstand ourselves if we would but choose to do more than we can. If you did all the things that you could, you would outstand yourself by the things you would do. A blogger, Russell Blake wrote 22 books in 18 months. John C. Maxwell wrote that, when we settle for average, we may be tempted to blame it on orders, on our circumstances, on the system. But the truth is that mediocrity is a choice. You are mediocre because you chose to. So, you can choose to be an excellent young person before you ever become the person that God has called you to be. You must win the battle over the enemy called average. The awful life of average. Average is doing less than you could have done. Average is shooting for the sky when you could have shot for the moon. Average is writing a paragraph when you could have written a book. Average is refusing to rewrite an examination because you failed the first or the second time. Average is settling for a C when you could have made an A. Average is being content to remain at a point instead of choosing to make progress daily. Average is closing each day, each month, each year without becoming a better person. Average is believing I'm still a kid, I have all the time in the world so let's waste it. Average people always end up being less than average. When you settle for average, you don't just become average, you become less than average. Columnist Maureen Dowd said the minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for. Contentment is a great virtue God wants you to have but contentment is being satisfied to call yourself who and what God says you are striving to become that. If God says you're a king, you shouldn't settle for being a servant. If God calls you the light of the world, you shouldn't settle for being a boning lamp. Light is light, I know. But a boning lamp and the light of the world, what's the comparison? When the children of Israel stay too long around the mountain, God told them you have dwelt too long around the mountain, it is time to move forward. If you are less than who and what God wants you to be, then you are settling for less. Thomas Edison was noted to have said, if we did all those things we are capable of doing, we would literally outstand ourselves. You don't settle for less when you were made for more. You can either become more or you become less but never expect God to receive an average from you. Don't condemn yourself for the things you've done averagely in the past. You've learned this lesson now. It's time to move on. Next time you have something to do, give it your best. Start small. Start with doing the dishes well. Do some plates still have oil in them? Rewash them until they are sparkling clean. Nobody needs to know. Upper Winfrey said, integrity is doing what is right even when you know no one is watching. You aren't doing the right thing for anyone. You are doing it for yourself. Always ask, is there a way I could do this better? Then create ways. Don't go overboard. Just do enough to make you stretch. Teach yourself to over deliver and under promise. It's not a trait that's common anymore. Soon you would realize that you just can't settle for average. It's your choice to choose to rise above average and there's an interesting truth to this. You can do it. If this video inspired you, like this video and subscribe to our channel. We love you.