“Mera beta failure banega!” … said no one ever.

Everyone wants you to succeed, even you want to be successful. In one of my previous blogs, I said that you should get into the driver’s seat of your life.  

But the world never allows us to get into the driver’s seat. You are told time and again- the things you can do and most importantly, what you cannot. 

The world always tries to mold in pre-made casts.  The education system and the society would remind you again and again of what we should do–score good marks, get a job with a fat salary package, marry someone, have a kid, buy a home and then, settle down in life. 

Sadly, most of us fall in line, too soon. And that’s how we stop being in the driver’s seat. 

Stop Bribing Yourself (or Cherishing the Small Bribes Others Give You) 

You must have heard this – salary is the bribe they give you to forget your dreams. 

Similarly, there are several other bribes offered to you throughout life and most of these bribes are ways to celebrate mediocrity. 

In ‘The Incredibles’, Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) said, “It’s psychotic! They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity…” 

He said this because he didn’t want to go to this son’s graduation ceremony. Now you’d think he is just mad. But if you’d seen the movie, you know, his son was just being promoted from fourth grade to fifth grade. 

The graduation ceremony is a bribe – to make everyone forget that a child can be incredible. Instead, everyone is getting together to just celebrate that their child passed a class exam. 

Learn to Differentiate between Pitstop and the Final Destination 

Look at everything around you – people celebrate first paychecks, host parties on birthdays, anniversaries, etc. or treat themselves when they cross a specific number of followers on social media. 

In reality, all these numbers/wins are nothing but bribes the world gives you to celebrate a thing that might not even be that big. (Everyone has a birthday- what’s special about it to throw a party?)

Don’t get me wrong here. I am not asking you to stop cherishing the small wins in your life. 

But if you really want to be in the driver’s seat and succeed, you should understand one thing. 

All the small wins are just pitstops – the highway dhaba where you eat lunch en route to your destination. 

You enjoy a hearty meal, live in the moment, click selfies but don’t cancel your plan to go on vacation because the dhaba on the way was nice. 

Similarly, in life, rest at every pitstop. But remember, pitstops are never meant to be permanent homes. They should not deviate you from your end goal. If you are seeing these pitstops as achievements, you’re celebrating mediocrity already. 

Stop Being Ordinary when You can be Incredible 

Everyone can succeed. You can achieve all you want and make it big, too. 

Just that you’ll have to forego the attachment with small wins- the pitstops, the bribes and the reasons that make us stay mediocre. 

Stop at the pitstop for a while but also learn when to get back on the road- the road towards your destination. When you leave the pitstop, that’s when you get a chance to sit on the driver seat- the driver seat of your life. 

So, the next time someone asks you to celebrate mediocrity, do it if you want. 

But remember, that’s just a bribe for you to stop being incredible and chasing your own path. Never give up on your life goals and dreams. 

Why sparkle for a moment when you can actually shine for life?