Whats_in_a_Name_

What’s in a name' That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” – Juliet… sike – Shakespeare If I quantified the amount of time that I spent thinking (or rather day dreaming) about the title of my blog I would a) reveal that I am a data tool, b) feel silly as there are many other more value added activities that I could have been engaging in and c) be tempted to create a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) on the strength of my final product. This CBA would require assigning a value to my title… and then we might have to start my loop all over again. First runner up: While looking up Eleanor Roosevelt quotes, which I love, my friend sent me another which seemed fitting. “There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.” Buck Rodgers And I thought – Rejecting Mediocrity! Sounds intelligent, determined, a little pissed off, and (slightly) happily pretentious. But I believe in the power of the words that we tell ourselves out loud or in the quiet seclusion of our mind. My little voice doesn’t need a “Mediocrity” tape, even if it is preceded by “Rejecting”. The winner: Then I remembered a conversation with a friend at work which ended with me wondering – what if we told our munchkins (Kristina’s endearing term for children) to “go be amazing” when we are thinking go – fly a kite, take a hike, get lost, climb a tree, play in traffic… you get the idea. ***I found after polling my friends that my parents may have been the only ones that said these things. So if these are new terms, it’s not you, it’s me =)*** And then I thought, why start with telling our children – we need to tell ourselves! If we are our own best coach, if we love ourselves first… we can give the best of what we’ve got. It is so easy to take what we are given – things, expectations, constructs… and believe them. I was not really taught to challenge these “givens” so I found myself in box of mediocrity – a box that I created. It should be said that not everyone’s circumstances provide the same inputs. I had a nice box by many people’s standards, for which I am very grateful. I had a home, car, job, circle of friends, close family, vacations, fun weekends, and even some adventures. Recently along my journey, the box walls began to fade, becoming more transparent. I began to sense that there was, in fact, a box… which made me wonder, what is outside' I wouldn’t call myself a brave person. I’ve lived in the same place for over seven years. I hate to move, love shopping for my single self at Costco, plan most of my steps out (including what next weekend will look like… and the weekend after that usually). I’ve only been at two companies and I felt forced to leave the first because I would come home so defeated that all I could do was cry. I wasn’t one of the mice that actively searched for new cheese when there were huge wheels in the comfort of my happy box (Who Moved My Cheese). Have you ever been scared to go' To stay' Or to do' That is how I feel. I have realized I am living only a fraction of my potential, albeit a comfortable fraction, but the thought of leaving scares me silly. While I wouldn’t call myself brave, I would admit to being a woman of logic. So, I can’t justify steeping in the mediocrity now that I see it. I realized that my only choice is to Go-Be-AMAZING!