This article is courtesy of @Morningstar 's 21 commands. Freewriters let's use his 'prompts' (if I may call them) to test our creativity. This article is based on Point 21.
As usual, I like to start my articles with a sentence that tends to defy 'ethical', 'normal' standards. So here is the 'forbidden advice' for today's article:
Do not be content with what you have.
I'll trust you all to read between the lines, and with your minds, not with the pre-programmed mentality parents, teachers and society administered to us. Because right now, we're going to delve into how to activate the best you. Of course, I'm no motivational speaker, and this article is purely based on personal sentiment. But if it works for me, it could work for someone else, right? Let's go.
My childhood was full of 'be with what you have' and 'cut your coat according to your cloth' rules instead of 'the sky's the starting point' and 'reach for the stars' advice.b Daring to dream of anything 'overly prosperous' and 'seemingly extravagant' was treated as early signs of greed, and strict punishment was carried out to 'prevent a child from growing up to be a thief or criminal'.
As far as I'm concerned, that mentality is dangerous to a child's self-esteem and motivation. And if you're one person who's grown up with that 'let me finish school, get a white-collar job and get a two bedroom apartment in the heart of the city" average type of mentality, you'd better drop it ASAP.
I named my article 'High Standards' because that's one thing my friends knew me for. I'v always had over-the-charts, out-of-this-world. I didn't want to settle for 'just enough'; I always wanted more. And I was determined to make legitimate effort to have more.
Being 'content' is a huge temptation to rest on your oars, to not go the extra mile so as not to be seen as 'greedy'. It's makes you want to stay average (which is mediocre) and not put in more effort to achieve your star-studded dreams.
As far as I am concerned, I have no reason to want to be content with whatever state I find myself. I can take some time to see where I am and where I've come from, but never to rest my oars and consider myself to have arrived, and neither should you. Every day is an opportunity to upgrade yourself to a better version, and not taking the incentive will be at your own detriment!
Let's all set High Standards and reach for the sun. Even if we don't make it, we may lie among the stars.
Your article isn't just educative but there is a sense of professionalism in the order of writing. Good job