I have a section in my notebook called Fleeting Notes. That’s where I save fractions of thoughts – ideas that could be nurtured into something but mostly just sit in a folder until they are forgotten.

One of the notes in this section is called [[20220816 - Strategic Mediocracy]]. And it says: “Average returns for an above-average period of time = extreme outperformance. It’s the most obvious secret in investing”. That is it.

I cannot remember why I wrote it down. And sure, it might be “the most obvious secret in investing”, but I believe strategic mediocracy is true for many things in life.

Trying to be excellent might be an admirable habit – but it is freaking exhausting. And while it served me well to excel at everything when I was 17 and wanted to get accepted to a good university, it is not anymore.

I’m 34 and no longer optimising for a pre-defined path of success. Instead, a life filled with people and experiences that mean something. I’m playing my own game, so winning looks different than it does to you.

And if I’m above average in organising kitchen cabinets won’t matter to my total happiness. I’m not Marie Kondo. So I’m trying to be purposely average.

How hard can it be, one might ask? Hard. We live in a culture where good performance is rewarded for almost everything. On TikTok, being “mid” is a snappy shorthand for being mediocre. Not bad, not good, just fine. Average. And it is not something you want to be.

But optimising for everything also means optimising for nothing.

If you have an opinion on everything, people won’t listen.

If you make everything the most important, nothing will be.

I’m not trying to be mediocre at everything. I’m consciously choosing what matters to me. It is hard because it asks you all the existential questions about who you are and what truly matters.

And a lot of the time, I realise that my authentic self does not give a shit.

When I worry about not cooking for myself, my therapist sometimes tells me about someone who only ate french fries and sausage. And lived a perfectly happy (healthy) life. That’s a perfect illustration of strategic mediocracy.

Not every day will be a good day. But more good days than bad will make a good life.