When did it become desirable to be mediocre?

Be a student of your craft…

Since when is mediocrity the new gold standard? All-too-often I hear people start their sentences with, “Well, at least…(insert consolation prize here).” It seems that we have collectively lost our competitive spirit – the desire to be the best. When did we decide to give up? When did we decide that it’s okay to just be good enough? When did we decide to settle? Personally, I believe complacency is the number one killer of dreams. The greats are great because they found their passion and worked hard to perfect their crafts. Try finding a great author who is not an avid reader, a musician who doesn’t love and collect music, a strong CEO who doesn’t keep up with current trends, or a top athlete who doesn’t train. When I see a person miserable on the job or a child fighting for the chance to read, go to school or have clean drinking water, I’m reminded just how important it is to never settle. If you try your best, then the best is all you can do. However, if you say you tried your best to cover up a lack of effort, that's the mentality we need to change. Always strive for better.

How to be the best:

• Be a student of your craft. Read anything and everything you can. Study anything in your field and anything that may have an effect on it. Be well-rounded. Check out blogs, podcasts, YouTube, wherever you can get information, get it. Oh yeah, and don’t forget about PEOPLE. Have a conversation and learn something.
• If you’re good, spend time with somebody better, faster, stronger, etc.
• Take the next challenge. When you’ve mastered a certain level, step up. Rise to the occasion.
• Recruit a mentor. If you find an expert in the field, reach out to them and develop your skills.
• Never be too pleased with yourself. If you do something great, good. Now, do better.
• Practice, practice, practice.
• Never settle.

What do you think? Why is mediocrity praised? Where have we gone wrong? What are we doing right? What suggestions do you have to be the best?

I, Too, Have a Dream

This is a repost of an article I wrote for Red, Brown and Blue.

When a colleague recently asked me, as an African American male, what I thought about Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s dream, I told him I couldn’t answer that question without an essay of a response. The significance of that dream is so tremendous, and the effects so wide-ranging, I honestly don’t think it would be fair to respond, “Oh, it’s important.” An answer like that would fail to capture the magnitude of that dream, and how I feel it has affected my life and the lives of so many others. So, with that said, consider this my answer…

What do I think of King’s dream? One thing is for certain: I think it is very worthy of celebration. His dedication to civil rights, his charismatic leadership, and unwavering energy helped ignite one of the largest social movements in human history. However that dream was not his alone, but rather the culmination of many like-minded individuals who wanted to move towards a world free of racial oppression. Dr. King was not the first person to have a dream of Black kids and White kids playing in the same playgrounds together  – learning in the same class rooms together  – experiencing life together. No, there were many people who shared in that dream a sense of hope and the idea that we had transcended the ideology that race was the determinant factor of social mobility, academic attainment, and intellectual ability. In that dream, there was a message that we were ready to step forward – together. That dream was then, and remains today, an inspiration for us to reach our potential as a collective group of people.

With any powerful message there needs to be a powerful messenger. Without a capable person to transmit the message, much of its significance is lost. In this case, King was definitely a worthy and ideal candidate for this challenge. The dream may have not been his alone, but he had the rare ability to deliver an extremely well articulated vision of the future and a thorough knowledge of the trends that would later set the stage for a critical social movement to take place. Rosa Parks was not the first person that refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus. No, that distinction belongs to Irene Morgan. Why then do we tend to give Rosa Parks credit for igniting the Montgomery Boycott?

Ms. Morgan, albeit a courageous and strong woman, was not the proper image for the movement. At the time she refused her seat she was an unmarried mother of two children, resisted with physical force, and did not have most pristine reputation among the people in her community. Ms. Parks, on the other hand, was older, more respected, and the secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP.  Also, Parks’ resistance was orchestrated as part of a tactical strategy. Given the sensitive state of affairs regarding civil issues and the legal strategy the NAACP was employing to resist oppression, they couldn’t afford to feed the media with any more fodder to battle the movement than already existed. Although Irene Morgan won a court case with her defiance, the NAACP chose Parks because opponents would be less able to undermine the movement based on character flaws.

It is my opinion, however, that, in addition to honoring King’s legacy and the dream of the Civil Rights movement, we need to continue pressing forward by forging our own dreams. I think that if he could, Dr. King would encourage us to keep dreaming, adapting them for the challenges that are relevant to the present conditions. Many of the dreams of his time have yet to come to fruition, but great progress has been made in several areas. The problem, I feel, is that the dream and its effects were so monumental, that we have lost some of our own desire and willingness to develop our own dreams. King’s dream was a dream for the ages; one that encompassed the struggle that transcended race, ethnicity, age and other differences to be embraced by so many.

So, what do I think about King’s dream? I think that dream was important then, and remains important today. I think he was definitely the right person to deliver the message. However, I don’t think it exempts us from having our own dreams. In the wake of issues such as diminishing energy reserves to support global demands and a flawed education system that is not preparing our children for the future of highly skilled labor demands, along with acknowledging the old issues such as immigration and terrorism, I think we have plenty to dream about. Martin Luther King, Junior had a great dream, one that has stood the test of time, but I too have a dream. Do you?

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Maine.

Michael Maine is dedicated to global communication, collaboration, and cooperation. Originally planning on utilizing his problem solving and strategic strengths in the corporate sector, his eyes were opened and life changed after taking his first Sociology class at Southwestern University, where he graduated with a bachelor in Business and minors in both Sociology and Communications.

So, what do you think? What other issues are we facing today? How far have we come? What solutions do you suggest?

Why The Word "Boycott" in the National Marriage Boycott is Important

This is an article I wrote for the multicultural blog, Red, Brown and Blue.

I just signed the “National Marriage Boycott” pledge. A group of students at Stanford University began this movement with the simple idea that until everybody has the right to marry whomever they chose, the students will choose to not get married. I too, feel that equal rights should be just that – equal rights. At the National Marriage Boycott website, you can offer your support by signing the petition, creating a profile, and ordering their “equality ring”. I spoke with the president of the organization and she told me one of the biggest obstacles they are running into is getting people to sign the petition not because people don’t want equality for the LGBT community and everyone, but because the petition has the term “boycott” in the title. She asked me what significance I thought the word boycott might have in people’s unwillingness to sign the pledge. Her question really made me stop and think about the word boycott and people’s association with it. Many people have issue with the marriage boycott because they have issues with same-sex marriage, whether they be personal or religious. Others are on the fence on whether they want to support, resist, or take no part in change. But what is it about boycott stopping those who otherwise would be supporters of the cause?

I think the first issue we, those who would like to support the movement, have with participating is not the word boycott but the circumstances surrounding the boycott. Although the word may not necessarily evoke a negative connotation, we are typically asked to boycott institutions we deem negative. We boycott work when we feel work conditions are unsafe, workers are underpaid, or otherwise treated unfairly. We boycott stores, businesses, and brands when we feel they are involved in unethical practices. With the marriage boycott, we are being asked to abandon an institution not because we see it as unlawful, unethical, or unfair but because the environment surrounding that institution deprives a right to a specific group of people. Marriage itself does not grant one partner more rights or controls than the other. Although culture and customs play a major role in the how the marriage is run, it’s largely up to the couple to determine how to run their marriage. In American culture, marriage is often taught as one of life’s major goals. Tax breaks, the ability to share medical benefits, and other rewards that are often reserved for married couples further emphasize the importance we place on the right to marry. Why should these rights be available to some couples and not to others? While legislature and practices are slowly changing, until everybody is granted the same set of rights, we are not all created equal.

Another major issue is the archetype of the member of the majority who wants change, but doesn’t want to sacrifice the advantages they currently enjoy in order to realize that change. In order to be an agent of change, one must be willing to make sacrifices in order to identify with and help the oppressed. Many people don’t want to give up the opportunity to marry for an undetermined amount of time while the fight is fought to grant marriage rights to all. As mentioned earlier the right to marry is not only important for those who want to legally signify their love and commitment to one another, but also to enjoy the rights often designated only to married couples. Denying oneself the opportunity to marry is a sacrifice that many are either not willing or ready to make. It may be much easier for somebody who is very young, single, or doesn’t want to get married to sign and participate in the petition than somebody who is deeply in love and planning to take that step. Those that are already married may want to support the cause, but because they are married, feel they can’t. Fortunately, the National Marriage Boycott has come up with solutions for those that want to show their support but  can’t check the “single” box.

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? If so, do you remember the feeling that person gave you? Do you remember the first time your heart fluttered when you came in contact with that person, how you looked at them and everything else disappeared? How would you feel if it wasn’t legal for you to enter into the institution of marriage solely because of their gender? What if the “norm” was flipped, and it straight people didn’t have equal rights. Until we all work together to correct this injustice we will not be allowed to live as true equals.

For more information visit: National Marriage Boycott Website. 

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Maine.

Michael Maine is dedicated to global communication, collaboration, and cooperation. Originally planning on utilizing his problem solving and strategic strengths in the corporate sector, his eyes were opened and life changed after taking his first Sociology class at Southwestern University, where he graduated with a bachelor in Business and minors in both Sociology and Communications.

Acabo de firmar la petición del “Boicot Nacional de Matrimonio”. Un grupo de estudiantes de la Universidad de Stanford comenzó este movimiento con la simple idea de que, hasta que todo el mundo tenga el derecho de casarse con quien quisiera, los alumnos optarían por no casarse. Yo también siento que la igualdad de derechos debe ser sólo eso – la igualdad de derechos. En el sitio web de Boicot Nacional de Matrimonio, usted puede ofrecer su apoyo mediante la firma de la petición, la creación de un perfil, y ordenando su “anillo de la igualdad”. Hablé con el presidente de la organización y me dijo que uno de los mayores obstáculos con los que se encuentran es conseguir que la gente firme la  petición no porque no quieran la igualdad para la comunidad LGBT (lesbiana, gay, bisexual y transexual), sino porque la petición contiene la palabra “boicot” en el título. Ella me preguntó qué significado pensé que la palabra boicot podría tener que causara la falta de voluntad de las personas para firmar el compromiso. Su pregunta me hizo pensar en la palabra y como la gente la asociaba. Muchas personas tienen problemas con el boicot del matrimonio porque no están de acuerdo en que exista matrimonio del mismo sexo, ya sea por cuestiones personales o religiosas. Otros no saben si quieren apoyar, resistir, o no tomar parte en el cambio. Pero ¿Qué hay detrás de “boicot” que hacen detener a quienes de otro modo serían partidarios de la causa?

I Got Accepted To Grad School…In Sweden

I just found out that I was accepted to Gothenburg University in Sweden to obtain my Master in Global Studies. I’m really excited about the opportunity to study international studies…internationally. It has always been a passion of mine to immerse myself in different cultures and learn from other perspectives. If it all works out, I’ll be starting class on September 1, 2010. Wish me luck…