Of course, these days, to excel is not necessary in order to survive. Qualifications have become a commodity, and careers can be bought and sold. In this type of world, why bother trying to stand head and shoulders above the rest? It might have mattered in the Industrial Revolution (and the Cold War, and the digital revolution), where every new day was a struggle to innovate and come out on top, but not so anymore.

And this is why so few take the initiative to push the boundaries – to “fight mediocrity”. We've built a system that thrives on (indeed, *demands*) mediocrity, and punishes those who dare to break step. We're seeing a change only now, with the global recession and the rise of work-at-home digital freelancers, but for the most part, people are still stuck in “survival” mode – instead of “succeed” mode.

But that's just me rambling, thanks largely to the incredible winter we're having