"Taking the stairs at work? Nah, who wants a perfect body, I'm happy with mine."
"Sharing just One cigarette? Sure. One cigarette isn't going to KILL me. Besides, do you know that a lot of chain smokers never got lung cancer?"
"When's the deadline for this... Let me see, Friday. Ha! Wednesday afternoon isn't meant for focusing on work. Loooots of time left!"
"An unhealthy snack or fruit bowl/ carrot juice? Eating an unhealthy snack one day isn't going to harm me!"
"I can't spend 10 mins after every hour stretching. What will my colleagues think of me?"
"I can't not engage in gossip during coffee breaks. How can I fit in otherwise?"
"I have to prove that I'm better than the others by constantly telling people of my great work/by putting them in their rightful place. Otherwise they'll be all over you, trust me!"
"My job isn't my passion... But hey! They pay me enough, my boss is decent enough, people at the workplace are nice enough.. So why throw all this away? That would be madness!"

Happens?

True story. Mediocrity is a mindset, and an addictive one at that. After all, how do you raise a ship that is already sinking? Well for starters, you can stop the sinking, before you think of hauling it above water.

Mediocrity is comfortable. It tells you that you are GOOD where you are. It tells you that you are FINE with the current set of friends you have- the ones who gossip and call it having fun. It tells you that your body is FINE- "You're 'slightly' overweight- so WHAT?" It tells you that your JOB is gooood. The same job that you're trading your soul for nothing but money in return. "Yes, that's ENOUGH. Don't be stupid, how can you get more than this?" It tells you that there is NO better way to spend your evenings than in front of your Television. "What about spending time with friends/ your spouse? On another day maybe." It encourages you to stick to the norm, to go by tradition. "You want to make a living out of your hobby? You're crazy. Forget it". It discourages you to get out of your comfort zone. "Suryanamskara every morning? Who do you think you are? Kareena Kapoor?!" In the case that you're putting a lot of effort already, it pulls you back into the sinking sand called comfort zone. "Poor you, struggling this hard to have great health, make more wealth and have a great social life. Remember Nita? You think SHE works like you? NOPE. Isn't she happy? YEP. So stop torturing yourself, come back!" Mediocrity is what tells you that you may never be able make your dream a reality, and this whole lot of effort you're putting in is just a waste. Unfortunately most people give into it.

Why?

Because you convince yourself that this is Okay. This is fine. That you are happy. Question is, is it okay? Is it fine? Are you happy?

You have to be brave to hear your own answers to these questions. In case your answer is no, you have to ACCEPT that it is NOT OKAY. That this is NOT FINE. And that you are NOT HAPPY.
That is the only way to make yourselves go off the beaten path that your heart wants to take ever since you set your eyes upon it. Of course you have to ensure you're prepared, even better if you can find a mentor who's been-there-done-that. But this long journey of self discovery and expression will only begin after you can accept what the truth is, to you. For with acceptance, a new adventure begins.

P.S: When a friend, Keshava had this title in mind and conveniently passed it on to me for writing the article, I couldn't pass it up. Idea credits to him!