Invest Yourself.

Mediocrity. I hate that word and all that it implies. It means an ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding. More than the word, I hate the feeling.

At many different points in my life, I have felt mediocre. I never was really good at anything.  I was okay at sports: not horrible, but never amazing (except for my killer underhand volleyball serve in 7th grade!). I did well in grade school but wonder if I had been at a more challenging school if I still would have been at the top of my class. Basically, until the end of high school, I skated along, forcing myself to be content with feeling ordinary. Senior year hit and along with it came some of the biggest challenges of my life. I'm not going to recount all that happened and my feelings that accompanied these situations, as they are more fitting for my personal journal than to be splattered across the internet.

However, I am going to share a bit.  The the most impacting challenge was the sudden death of my dear Uncle John spring of my senior year. This man was the epitome of someone who is not mediocre and demonstrated it in his life.  If you couldn't tell by his amazing family, it was blatantly obvious at his memorial.  So many people came who had been impacted by his kind words, actions, love of people, and serving God.

Looking back now, I can see that this is the time when my perspective was transformed.  I realized I did not want to live a mediocre life.  I realized that my purpose is not to skate through life but to truly live it.  Many people don't understand why I do the things that I do, go the places I go, and step out of my comfort zone willingly.  But I do this because I want to make a difference. I desire to impact others while transforming myself for the better.

I want to encourage you to strive for more than mediocre.  The phrase that keeps coming into my thoughts about this is Invest yourself. You don't have to travel the world or invent a revolutionary product to be extraordinary. Invest yourself in your friendships, relationships, your work, and especially your passion. My uncle was an amazing architect, involved in church, had a wonderful family, but never lived more than 5 hours away from where he was born and yet, he was definitely not mediocre.  He invested himself in his family, friends, faith, work, and passion for life. For me, it is traveling the world, investing deeply in the relationships/friendships I acquire, and working with high school students.  I wouldn't say I'm extraordinary, but I don't feel mediocre anymore.

Yes, investing yourself involves being vulnerable and making an effort, but it is worth it.  There are opportunities to be hurt but even greater opportunities to love and be loved. to change people's lives as well as your own. To make a difference in this world. To live an extraordinary life. Find what makes you feel alive.

and then,

Invest yourself.