Over the years of working with professionals, I’ve found that professionals settle for nothing  less than professional excellence. Yet they all struggle to attain and retain their high standards. Some become so worn down by the constant struggle that they settle for mediocrity.

Mediocrity is like quicksand. You step in it and you slowly start to sink. As you go down, you feel increasingly helpless to do anything about it. It soon engulfs you to the point that the struggle wears you down and you have nothing left. You resign yourself to just managing.

This is ugly, depressing and no way to begin your week. So, let’s talk about how to protect yourself from stepping in it. Here are some warning signs that make you vulnerable to mediocrity.

1. You are unfocused. If you have no compelling sense of direction, purpose or goals, you wander aimlessly. Every few weeks or months, you’re on another jag, searching for that one thing that captivates you. You are like a leaf blown in the wind.

2. You are undisciplined. The small rituals, practices and obligations that are meant to protect you become misrepresented as restraints to your freedom or control, so you put them off, avoid them or ignore them. The consequence is that, sooner or later, you will inadvertently step in it.

3. You are unmotivated. You have no fire in your belly that drives you to be better, smarter, more efficient or more effective. You simply take each day as it comes, hoping to get to the end of the day with nothing more than your sanity intact. Tomorrow will be more of the same.

If you experience any of these warning signs, take heed. Get control of yourself by acknowledging you are faltering and address them head on. Don’t allow mediocrity to set in. Instead, pursue professional excellence to gain your sanity, satisfaction and success.