It's comfortable in the middle

We spend a lot of our time celebrating success. We admire those who work hard to reach the top of their respective games, we strive to do the same, and we tend to spend a lot of time lamenting the fact that we haven't achieved enough. Or at least I do. In spite of my attempts on this blog to put things in perspective and focus on finding silver linings, I am definitely a "glass is half empty" kind of girl. Living in the Big Apple, it's hard to not constantly compare myself to others who are better educated, more successful, further ahead in their careers, more ambitious, etc. The list goes on.

I have one friend who has worked for the same company since graduation. He is smart, capable, and very good at his job. But he's always resistant to taking on more responsibility at work and, indeed, has made every attempt to actively avoid any managerial responsibilities. I've always thought this was amusing, and somewhat strange, too. Who wouldn't want recognition at work and to take on everything the job has to offer?

I am neither a mover nor a shaker. I don't run a company, I don't negotiate multi-billion dollar transactions, and I'm definitely not -- to borrow a title coined by Michael Lewis in "Liar's Poker" -- a BSD. Nevertheless, over the last few years, my status on the totem pole has risen ever-so-slightly, and the realm of my responsibility has grown just a tad. This is good because it is, after all, my goal. Right?

But with responsibility comes, well, responsibility. As it happens, my small area of responsibility is up against a pretty tight deadline, which happens to fall over this weekend. It is thus with disappointment, but perhaps simple resignation, that I find myself forced to cancel my weekend trip to Canada that I have had planned since October. I probably won't be tied to my desk in New York all weekend, and I hope to take advantage of the good weather to cycle a lot, enjoy my dinners al fresco, and generally relax, but still, I'd rather be elsewhere.

And so, I give a shout-out to all the middle-of-the-packers who aim to finish, not win; to those who do a good job at their jobs, but don't worry that they might not be doing enough; and to anyone who doesn't necessarily wish for more because they're "just fine, thank you very much!"

Three cheers for mediocrity!