This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
Are you addicted to mediocre results?
How many of you are doing what you love daily and getting paid to do it?
In a room full of people, a scarce few would raise their hands.
Most people aren’t doing what they love each day because guess what? They’re scared.
Scared to fail. Scared to put in the hard work. Scared of what people will think. Scared they will run out of money. Scared to lose financial stability. Scared they will not succeed. And many are even scared they will succeed.
What’s your excuse?
Most people have at least one.
Identifying your excuse puts you one step closer to obliterating it.
I recently chatted with a friend about a significant career move they’re about to embark upon. They’re scared sh*tless because they’re going to lose income for a little while and will be traveling uncharted waters in their new career.
After they shared more of their reservations, I told them:
“You’re one of the hardest-working, diligent, and determined people I know. I promise you will figure it out just as you’ve always done with everything else.”
Without a shadow of a doubt, they will be okay. I believe it in my heart and soul, and they know it, too. Plus, they have a whole year of preparation; how can they fail?
You can’t fail if you think you can’t fail.
Why Are We So Scared To Do What We Love?
Animals do whatever they have to do to survive. I remember watching animal planet not too long ago.
The Cheetah & The Crocodile
A cheetah was so desperate for food they jumped from a tree and attacked a crocodile sitting in water. Talk about courage.
Clearly, the crocodile had the advantage here, but the cheetah latched onto it with its mouth and didn’t let go of the crocodile’s body, no matter how fierce the crocodile became. The cheetah fought the fight of their life.
I will never forget this fight; it was such a powerful example of determination.
When you’re trying to survive, you fight tooth and nail to get what you desire. We saw this happen in an intriguing show called Squid Games.
Some of the nicest people on the show became others’ worst nightmares. Everyone did what they had to do to survive, which is why it got ugly.
People didn’t even know they had certain traits inside them until they were put in certain situations. Some people found that they were more intelligent, determined, courageous, focused, and strategic than before they encountered specific experiences.
What Will It Take To Utilize Your Killer Instinct For Your Dream?
We don’t have to hurt people while achieving our dreams. This is the worst way to accomplish your dreams.
Instead, we only need to be strategic, consistent/persistent, determined, and hungry to make our dreams a reality.
That cheetah had a dream and vision to eat a meal because if it didn’t eat, it would starve. They knew they were at a disadvantage. They knew failure could happen. They knew they might die. But they did everything in their power to ensure failure didn’t happen.
Be the cheetah even if your dream presents itself as a crocodile.
You Might Be Addicted To Mediocre Results
I’ve often asked myself, why am I not going for x dream like I am for this mediocre desire?
Often the answer to the question is fear and habit.
It’s easy to do what we’ve always done. Even if the results are mediocre, we know we will get a result. And sometimes, that hit of dopamine that a mediocre result provides us is good enough.
But we must get tired of settling for good enough! As Tony Robbins frequently speaks of, good enough doesn’t cut it if we want to live and experience a higher life.
Be careful of becoming addicted to mediocre results; this addiction will keep you from tapping into your potential and reaching your dreams 100% of the time.
In Conclusion
Maybe you’re in a job you love, but maybe you have a dream to do x. My question to you is, why haven’t you made it happen already?
Apply the logic of this article to any dream you have. Remember the cheetah and the crocodile. Leverage the killer instinct inside of you to obtain goals that seem unreachable.
Anything is possible as long as you believe it is and put in the effort to make it happen. Dreams don’t have to stay dreams; they can always be converted into your reality, but the choice is up to you.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.