Why Live Life Of Mediocrity?

Hey there, and welcome to this episode where I reflect on a question I first asked myself five years ago: Why live a life of mediocrity? In light of the global market chaos and panic, where even what many considered safe, like gold, lost so much value in one day, I once again reflected on that question. It’s not because I’ve arrived at my destination, but because I found peace when others trembled. Do you live a life of mediocrity? Well, as you answer, sit still because this one is long........

It was the Christmas season, December 2019, and my friend and I had just separated as he headed back to Portsmouth while I remained at a cafe reading a book in York Way, London. My phone rang; it was my boss calling from another country while I was on a short vacation. She was calling to ask when I would be coming back. This was surprising to me because she knew I was on vacation. I was heading back the next day, but all through that night, I kept wondering why I couldn't even spend enough time with my friend, let alone explore all of London. Anyways, everything seemed rushed, and I clearly didn't enjoy it. So, all through my remaining night and on my journey back home, I kept asking myself why life was like that. One thing about me is that I'll typically examine the role I had to play in any outcome I was experiencing. I didn't like the way I had been living then, so clearly it was something I had been pondering. Nevertheless, this trip actually changed everything. I returned to my usual life and job and subsequently took another trip one weekend in February 2020. After I returned, the COVID-19 pandemic began dominating headlines, and borders were closed. Long story short, I emerged from the pandemic with one thing on my mind: I can't depart from this world living a life of mediocrity.

What does it even mean to live a life of mediocrity? It often stems from a combination of fear of failure, the comfort of familiarity, and a lack of self-belief. I looked around me, and it was obvious that people often choose the easy path, settling for "good enough" to avoid risks, rejection, and the discomfort of pushing beyond their current limits. At the time, I could really relate to a childhood friend who, to me, had achieved what I would define as escaping a life of mediocrity. He gets up when he wants and travels as much as he wants without worrying about a bill or a boss calling him to ask when he will return. At first, I thought it meant I needed to make a lot of money or hoard it, but it turns out this is not the case. This brought me a lot of relief because I'm not the type of person to hoard. I come from very humble beginnings and have never been excited by luxury. This is not to say I despise those who love it; after all, happiness is subjective. I just realized I needed a system that works. Many people wonder why I talk a lot about money, but like I said, it is a tool that is so critical to how you function in society; wouldn't you spend time to understand it thoroughly? Why didn't I stay longer on my vacation? Why did I have to return to my job? Clearly, it's not just the love of the job, but because if I don't, then I don't get paid. When I swiped my card, the fees were high, and the Pound Sterling is no cheap currency. Food and everything else were more expensive. Life functions because we are at a point where we are compelled to exchange goods and services. For this to happen, one needs a tool called money, and if you don't understand that tool, then what are you even doing?

Upon emerging from the pandemic, I had taken baby steps toward what has turned out to be a long journey. Like beginning to ride a bike, you only master balancing if the bike is moving. A German friend taught me how to ride a bicycle, and he would say, "Acha, you have to keep the bike going to find balance." That's life summarized, and being self-aware has helped a lot because I don't typically consider myself a fast learner. So, I know things will always take time for me to grasp, but the best part about this is that I tend to be excellent at anything I eventually master. I'm not being boastful or narcissistic here, but explaining something that I think many who are mediocre fail to realize. I have to say it to become more self-aware. It's like writing a journal tracking your emotions at the end of the day. You write them down repeatedly, and with time, you begin to catch yourself before they take hold of you. This is widely practiced by the Stoics and monks, not the journaling part specifically, but the act of mastering themselves. So, while it has been a long journey, I certainly found peace and enjoyment in the process. A friend who loves playing soccer and dreams of becoming a pro once said, "Frere (French for brother), imagine doing what I love and having people pay me for it." I once told my sister, "I love this thing, and if I had to go back to school, I would either study Statistics or Economics." I have certainly read a lot about psychology and philosophy, and as a political observer, everything seems to make perfect sense now. So the journey to escaping mediocrity, I believe, must be enjoyable. When you find a goal or purpose, certainly enjoy the process.

I mentioned in the first paragraph that markets were chaotic, and even the safest assets saw a violent price decline. Many lost money as they feared and sold their holdings at a loss to limit further damage. It took me a while to understand why the market crashes so badly. I read that most markets operate on leverage, as investors, overall, are usually seeking maximum profits and, as such, engage in massive trades. When events occur, like Trump suddenly announcing tariffs, the market goes into chaos. There are many factors why markets went chaotic this week, but it is too deep to go into them at this moment. The central idea is that the market becomes a house of cards that falls and then seeks stability when something breaks. My stock portfolio declined, but I was still up 7% on the year. My performance for sure hasn't been long enough to rub shoulders with the very best. Still, I believe in the adage that "it is not about timing the market, but time in the market" that matters. Five years ago, I'd have freaked out, but like life itself, you learn, and experiences make you stronger. Mediocrity shines when one fails to see the big picture. Most Americans have what they call IRAs and 401(k)s, which is just money doing one thing: time in the market. They don't need to do anything but regularly have money go into those accounts, and they have a very high probability that they will retire in profit. I asked why I couldn't replicate this, and even more, and the answer was mediocrity.

The law of large numbers is such a wonderful natural law. Give it time and stick to it, and it will for sure deliver. Anything you do regularly, you become good at. Play the guitar often, and you become good. Keep building a habit over time, and it becomes part of you. Read about a particular subject over and over, and you become really good at it (I learned this from Les Brown). Statisticians found that if you flip a coin many times, you realize that on average you get 50% heads and 50% tails. Even in relationships, the average 20-year-old suffers more from breakups than the average 30-year-old. It's just time in the game. I mentioned rejection when explaining mediocrity, and salespeople who can't deliver sales suffer from this. There's too much focus on the one person who would say no, forgetting that if they talked to over 100 people, they could land a few clients. It is the same as the fear of rejection when it comes to men approaching women. They focus on the one girl who could say no and forget that the men who land many dates get a lot of "noes." I have presented many scenarios from different aspects of life just to illustrate that the power is in the numbers, within which is time. It takes time to be good at something. Doctors get paid good salaries because of the time they put into mastering their craft. Not that you need to be a doctor, but everything takes time. I realized this, but also realized that being fully present and part of the journey is as enjoyable as achieving the goal because you operate not from a place of mediocrity. Most people would see you as different and will treat you as such. These journal entries are my testament to the law of nature. I'm one of those experiments that will ultimately prove, yet again, that this law works, and with it, many will gain momentum to push their own mediocrity aside. Time is of the essence.

Thank You!!!