Less is the new more

You heard it here first. The mediocrity revolution is brewing.   Slowly and surely people are realizing something fundamentally simple. After years and years of grooming the best of the best to join the cream of the crop, the sharecroppers are calling it even.  Choosing to strive for mediocrity instead of going for gold.  Hoard the gold.  Store the silver.  The new currency is far more valuable.  It's called balance.

Now, I'm not talking about the ommmmmm-twist-yourself-into-a-pretzel kind of balance.  I'm talking about abandoning perfectionism.  I was appalled when the concept of choosing mediocrity first was suggested.  Moi?  Do less when I know I can do more?  What a foreign concept!  In fact, I believe that few in the generation ahead of mine could even grasp the idea that achievement may lie somewhere short of perfection.  After all, weren't we raised to reach for the stars and to constantly strive for the next big thing, the promotion, the raise, the bigger house, car, salary?  Show everyone what you are made of, make a difference!  Build a castle, bake a cake, throw a party, shake shake shake!

Consider this: if you could do anything if you set your mind to, could you shorten your yardstick and feel success by doing less?  I think this is harder than you think, especially if you are an uber-achiever *ahem* like me.  No one dreams of being "good enough".  There's jokes about it.

Just good enough has a stigma associated with it.  People make it mean that you are lazy, dumb, or not able to do more or better.  Maybe they even think you can't pull your own weight or hold your own among the type A class.  I'm beginning to think the joke may be on them.

What would happen if everyone chose to get by with B's instead of A's?

What would it look like if everyone or at least a large population went for mediocrity instead of supernova status.  Would the world grind to a halt?  Would our economy be worse off than it is now?  Doubt it.

I suspect that the next generation, the so-called millenials that we Gen-Xers are staring at as if they are from another planet because they don't seem to want to follow the path that we so carefully carved for them, has somehow already figured this out.  Maybe they've seen what A-listed status has gotten their fore bearers.  A lot of stress, ailments and ego.  And maybe a few hundred thousand air miles.

I've even seen books by baby boomers that fear the millenials are going to be so blase and lackadaisical that America won't be able to compete.  Maybe competition and being at the top of one's game isn't the end all be all after all.  Maybe we want to just be.  Be happy.  Be fulfilled.  I wonder if it's possible to be better by choosing to let go of having it all, and choosing to do less.  I'm telling you, the mediocrity revolution is coming.  Are you ready for it?