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đ§âđ» Succeed Through Mediocrity
Why the key to success isn't talent or great work, but mediocrity at scale.
Hey Insiders!
I believe that perfectionism has killed more businesses and dreams than any other factorâŠ
Simply because it stops you before you even get started.
This is likely not the first time youâve heard that perfectionism is bad, and yet it permeates through our culture.
Why?
Because our actions speak louder than our wordsâŠ
We focus more on our weaknesses than our strengths
We celebrate people who appear to be perfect
We view Bs and Cs as bad grades
So the question is, how do we cure Perfectionism?
By celebrating Mediocrity.
And it turns out thatâs exactly what some of the most successful among us do!
Letâs dive in đ
Succeed Through Mediocrity
I was recently listening to an interview between Ali Abdaal and Unjaded Jade about the process of writing a book.
And one of the lines hit me like a truck full of bricksâŠ
As a YouTube creator with almost a million subscribers, Jade shared the pressure she experienced writing her book.
Because of her platform, she felt that a Best Seller was within her reach!
But that exact notion paralyzed herâŠ
âEvery time I had to sit down and write I was filled with so much dread because every single word had to be a âbest selling wordââ
In order to escape that feeling, she had to reshape the narrative around what she wanted her book to be.
She consciously decided that a Best Seller was not what she was shooting for.
She just wanted to publish a book.
Instead of focusing on her Big Hairy Audacious Goal, which crippled her, she chose to strive for Mediocrity.
And in case youâre curious, her book did end up becoming a Best Seller after all!
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Mediocre Actions Today = Great Results Tomorrow
Jade is not the only person to discover the magic of mediocrity.
The internet is filled with quotes about the negative power of perfectionism from noted entrepreneurs and creators.
âPerfectionism rarely begets perfection or satisfaction â only disappointmentâ â Ryan Holiday
âPerfectionism is a twenty-ton shield we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, itâs the thing thatâs really preventing us from taking flight.â â BrenĂ© Brown
Another author youâll be familiar with who is a fan of mediocrity is none other than Tim Ferriss.
Tim has talked often about his struggles with perfectionism and admits that what has allowed him to write so many books is actively striving for mediocrity.
âMy quota for writing is 2 crappy pages per day,â he shared during a conversation with fellow author Neil Straus.
Tim goes on to say that itâs what keeps him sane and writing daily.
If he doesnât create goals that are âeasily winnableâ it can paralyze him.
While weâve talked a lot about writers, this advice applies to all knowledge workers.
What is your version of "2 crappy pagesâ?
There is likely something right now that youâre actively avoiding doing, or not shipping, for no other reason than you donât feel like itâs good enough.
Youâre afraid of the possibility of failure!
Instead of it being great, ask yourself, is it mediocre?
If so, perhaps itâs time to hit SENDâŠ
You can always improve it later!
Perfectionism can be Sneaky
I have many weaknessesâŠ
Stratospheric levels of shiny object syndrome
A natural inclination towards laziness
Tendency to routinely skip leg day
But one thing Iâve always been proud of is not suffering from perfectionismâŠ
I have no problem hitting send or publishing a new project.
Then recently I had a conversation with a friend that completely shattered that illusion!
While I have no problem shipping, our conversation revealed that my perfectionism strikes when it comes time to promote my work.
I will launch something and then stay quiet because Iâm afraid people wonât like it, or that Iâm embarrassed of my work because I feel like itâs not good enough.
âHow is that any better than not hitting publish?â my friend asked.
He was rightâŠ
I never thought I struggled with perfectionism, but in reality, I had it just as bad as others, it was just rearing its ugly head in a sneaky way, stabbing me in the back when I wasnât looking.
If youâre like me and donât think perfectionism is a problem, make sure that itâs not just sneakyâŠ
đ Are you playing it safe and not pushing yourself because youâre afraid to fail?
đ Are you constantly âplanningâ and âstrategizingâ instead of taking action?
đ Do you say Yes to work you should say No to because youâre afraid to really focus on something?
These are classic examples of Sneaky PerfectionismâŠ
đ Playing it safe: I started my podcast in 2019, but I had been wanting to start one since at least 2017. It took me so long to start it because I was afraid of failing at something I really cared about and wanted. It was safer to keep a dream.
đ Planning: Spending tons of time planning and strategizing are common ways to feel like youâre doing work without actually putting yourself out there by taking action. Itâs procrastination which is really another word for perfectionism.
đ Saying Yes: Saying yes to things that are not a Hell Yeah is a way to stay in your safety zone, instead of doubling down on what you really want to do. It provides you with an excuse for your lack of perfection - âIâm so busy with other work that I donât have time to focus on this, so I need to wait to ship.â
Wrapping Up đŻ
Iâm sure there are some people reading this who will undoubtedly askâŠ
âBut what about doing good work? What would the world look like if everyone just shot for mediocrity? I donât want a mediocre life or business.â
And thatâs a great pointâŠ
A mediocre product, service, or business wonât bring you success.
It wonât inspire word of mouth, create raving fans, or serve as a vehicle for a dream life.
But the mere fact that youâre concerned about that tells me you donât need to be!
The odds are that if youâre reading this newsletter, youâre not someone who is happy with mediocrity.
And yet, itâs that exact fear of mediocrity in the micro, thatâs keeping you from achieving greatness in the macro.
Mediocre actions stacked on top of each other can create greatness!
Remember that with just 2 crappy pages a day, Tim Ferriss has written several best-selling books!
And I donât think many of us would say heâs achieved only mediocre successâŠ
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Thatâs it for today!
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me! Iâd love to hear what you think about this edition of the newsletterâŠ
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Thatâs it for today, see you Wednesday!
Cheers đ»
Todayâs email was written by Mitko Karshovski