The road to success is a jagged path lined with various obstacles. Ironically, the portion of the road that seems to throw the most people off course is the curve. This very curve may be likened to the one you learned about in general statistics, infamously known as the bell curve.
Similar to basic stats, there is a bell curve germane to the professional sector. Collections of people will be spread throughout the distribution, with a few outliers inhabiting the tail ends (extremes). As evidenced by the image below, the highest concentration of people will populate near the mean, or average, nevertheless. As a result, you should only seek to positively deviate from the norm. Otherwise, you will merely maintain the status quo or detract from the standards that have been established.
At which point on the continuum do you fall?
Referencing the model above, you will notice how the surface area decreases significantly as you enter the realms of the extremes. Those who inhabit the positive territory are consistent in all they do, and not just when “the lights are on.” In fact, they are often the ones turning the lights on…and off for that matter. Similarly, your greatest fear should be being classified as average, i.e. mediocre. Ordinary.
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Remain mindful that you have the ability to handle any curves you may encounter on your road to success. In short, as long as you control what you can control, you will never lose control. Accordingly, as renowned poet Robert Frost suggests in the final stanza of “The Road Not Taken”, opting for the less crowded path is worth the effort.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Said difference lies within the details.
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