Mediocrity

 

I Get Knocked Down

He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
(Oh Danny Boy, Danny Boy, Danny Boy)
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down

This Danny Boy never got up in the first place.  Getting up is WHY you get knocked down.

There is a strategy that I just discovered that sounds like my guiding principle, Strategic Mediocrity.  It is an investment strategy that says to achieve growth, the goal should not to be the best, because, things being random, the best may, on the next roll of the dice, be the worst.  “The last shall be first and the first shall be last", to borrow a phrase.  The best strategy is to be in the middle, to be mediocre, to not stand out.  If your goal is growth, then aim for the middle.

If your aim is anything, don’t be number one.  If you are number one, then there is pressure to remain number one.  If you are number two, then there is pressure to become number one and not slip to number three.  If you are number three, there is the pressure to become number one or two and not slip off the podium.  If you are just off the podium, then there is less pressure.

A whack-a-mole gets bopped on the head when it sticks its head out of a hole by itself.  If every mole stuck its head out of the hole at the same time, then the odds are reduced that any one mole will be knocked down. Encouraging others to stick their head out, at the same time as you, sounds like the safest strategy.   You are more likely to achieve your goal, be it investment, growth, wisdom, etc. if everyone does it at the same time.