The Ultimate Guide to Being Mediocre!

"Stop doing the things that make you marginal" - Futurist Jim Carroll

Futurist Jim Carroll is writing a series, “25 Things I’ve Learned That Will Carry Me Into 2025.” He is putting this together based on his 30-year career as a futurist, trends, and innovation expert, advising leaders of some of the world’s most prestigious organizations on how to align to a faster future. He intends for the series to provide valuable guidance to others eager to learn how to move through a year that promises to be volatile, unpredictable, and full of uncertainty. Each day, the post will go out on multiple mailing lists, social media networks, and to the Website https://2025inspiration.jimcarroll.com

One of the most important things we should do every day is to stop doing the things we often do every day - the things that lead us to mediocrity, poor performance or not-so-great results.

We've got to stop being marginal in terms fo what we do, how we think, and how we act.

I started out building a list of the things we should do, the way we should act, and the mindset we should carry through our day.

And then I thought, why not turn it around? Why not emphasize the point I'm trhying to make by providing the ultimate guide of what people do to ensure a spectacular descent into mediocrity. I started building a list, and got to point #10, and began to realize it would take quite a bit of work. So why not let an AI help out? I've fed all 3,500 Daily Inspiration posts to Notebook LLM from Google, and asked it to help me fill out the list.

Essentially, it took 8 years of motivational, inspirational, change oriented guidance and flipped it on its head.

I even had it prepare a little bit of a de-motivational intro:

In a world racing forward at breakneck speed, where innovation and adaptability reign supreme, you too can master the art of becoming perfectly forgettable. While others waste their time pushing boundaries and challenging conventional wisdom, this comprehensive collection of self-sabotaging behaviors will guarantee your place in the vast sea of the unremarkable. So sit back, relax, and prepare to embrace these time-tested strategies for achieving absolute averageness. After all, why strive for excellence when mediocrity is so comfortably within reach?

Brilliant!

And so here we go - here's your list!

101 Ways to Live a Mediocre Life:

...accept that average is good enough.
...you shouldn’t bother trying to come up with new ideas.
...you should try to make things more complex, rather than simplifying them.
...make excuses.
...believe that your future is hopeless.
...be satisfied if people don’t like your idea.
...be happy if the boss doesn’t like your idea.
...dismiss an idea because it is ahead of its time.
...honor tradition over innovation.
...avoid starting anything new.
...believe that the status quo is perfect.
...stop learning.
...say "you can't do that because it's always been done this way."
...think that innovation is too hard.
...never take risks.
…be content if you can't do something.
...worry about rocking the boat.
...follow the crowd.
...be skeptical of trend forecasts and predictions.
...maintain the norms.
...give up on your ideas.
...stop chasing your dreams.
...think that your creativity is worthless.
...avoid making mistakes.
...stop growing.
...assume you know everything.
...focus on yesterday.
...give up on your dreams.
...settle for less than your potential.
...ignore what matters.
...think small.
...avoid doing the hard things first.
...avoid doing the hard things.
...be content with doing the same thing over and over again.
...never make any progress.
...put in minimal effort.
...invest as little time as possible in difficult things.
...avoid developing true grit.
...always focus on what’s hot.
...avoid looking at what's not on the list.
...lack confidence in yourself and your team.
...give up easily.
...only focus on identifying problems.
...avoid offering solutions.
...only see obstacles, not opportunities.
...avoid difficult challenges.
...give up after making mistakes.
...be afraid of trying new things.
...avoid complexity.
...focus on what could go wrong.
...never try to fix air conditioners.
...be uncomfortable with any given plan.
...give up when faced with setbacks.
...blow up well-functioning computer systems.
...avoid complex projects.
...be afraid to take one step back.
...give up when the going gets tough.
...believe that change isn’t worth it.
...think that bold thinking is risky.
...believe that creativity can’t solve problems.
...think that progress is out of reach.
...believe that original ideas won’t work.
...focus on the latest hype, following the crowd.
...fail to see larger trends.
...believe you will lose your job.
...listen to what the media says about AI.
...fixate on automating dirty and repetitive jobs.
...fear that AI chatbots are taking over high-paying jobs.
...accept that yesterday is gone forever.
...believe that the world changes at a slow, steady, and predictable pace.
...think that what might seem far-fetched now won’t be real tomorrow.
...assume that you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what comes next.
...keep doing the same thing that has been done in the past.
...ignore the new threats and opportunities that you face.
...feel overwhelmed and pull back and do nothing when faced with rapid change.
...avoid taking on projects to keep your innovation capabilities fresh and up to date.
...have a business plan in the internet era.
...carefully think through your future.
...stick with what you are doing, even if you don’t like it.
...avoid moving fast.
...focus on scalability, not innovation.
...stop innovating.
...avoid learning from others who have successfully innovated.
...separate innovation from strategy.
...avoid measuring the impact of your innovation efforts.
...dismiss your unique skills and talents.
...avoid doing things you are passionate about
...avoid questioning established norms.
...stop learning new knowledge and skills.
...stay within your comfort zone.
...avoid calculated risks.
...stay away from offbeat ideas.
...avoid connecting with people from different backgrounds
...struggle to bounce back from setbacks.
...keep your unique insights and perspectives to yourself.
...avoid activities that stimulate creativity.
...maintain a pessimistic outlook.
...close yourself off to new experiences.
...ignore your intuition.
...embrace the status quo.
.. surrender to fear and avoid courage.

What's the takeaway with all this?

The path to mediocrity is paved with comfortable choices and missed opportunities.

Each item on this list represents a small surrender, a tiny compromise that collectively ensures your journey to irrelevance.

But here's the plot twist: now that you see these behaviors laid bare in their full satirical glory, you face a choice. You can either use this list as your blueprint for blending into the background and living a marginal life - or you can treat it as your anti-manual – a stark reminder of every instinct you need to fight against to remain relevant in a world that rewards the bold, the innovative, and the perpetually curious.

The future belongs to those who refuse to make peace with their own limitations.

So, which side of history will you choose to stand on?

Futurist Jim Carroll has met far too many people who do far too many of the things that are found on the list.

Original post

Subscribe to The Daily Inspiration