Dubai: Mediocrity can be termed as the easy escape; by not striving for better or excellence and settling for less than the best, because you know that’s easier.

It kills the potential of the cells in your body that were designed to achieve excellence. While advocating mediocrity could be a crime, following the herd is equally mediocre.

It’s a proven fact that even animals dream; so, with the quality of being human, you certainly have dreams. While some of us go all out to make that dream come true, others pass it on as just another fantasy.

The question is — Why? Why would you not work towards achieving what you desire? Afraid of being different? Sure, you could be … who isn’t? But unless you try, how would you know if the risk is worth taking or not.

It’s a great sign to be scared because there can be no courage if you’re doing something you’re not afraid of.

Just bear in mind the ‘Don’ts’ to avoid getting sidetracked — Don’t accept mediocrity as it is contagious; Don’t advocate mediocrity as it corrupts the excellence mindset; and. Lastly, Don’t be part of a mediocre mindset, for it is a colour that catches on fast as it is not firmly set.

Apathetic people are the ones who become victims to this disease because they sit back and wait for things to get better by themselves. Settling for less than what you deserve or what you can achieve is not called being content in what you have.

If that’s what you’ve been thinking all this while, you’ve been fooling yourself and have been imprisoned by the cancer called mediocrity. Why do we call it a cancer? Because once it permeates your mindset, it spreads fast to all areas of your life.

When it comes to your brand, following what the others do is a good way to ensure you’re in line with the rest. Adopting proven marketing tactics will ensure you make decent sales, but does that make your brand stand out?

Beware, not standing out of the crowd is merging with them, and being one among the rest is nothing more than being mediocre. Following the trend is only acceptable if you’re in the making of a new one — that is what I call lifting above mediocrity!

Advertising is the oxygen to your brand, when you stop advertising your brand stops breathing and eventually dies. However, just putting your name up on a billboard is NOT advertising; it’s got to be smart, creative and an attention grabber.

You see ads almost everywhere; right from the moment you wake up and look into your smartphone until you go back to bed. I couldn’t stress enough on how important it is to stand out in such a competitive market.

Lack of individuality forces you to be mediocre in your thoughts and actions and this directly affects the evolution of your brand. Be unrealistic, talk impracticalities, dream of unreal things and work towards achieving it all, then and only then will you lift above average and break free from mediocrity.

The writer is the Managing Director of BuyDoBuy Advertising LLC and Diplomats Summit Ltd, UK.