Superpowers of the Mediocre

Or, why being just ‘okay’ still means you’re the best.

Abby Cheval
2 min readApr 13, 2021

--

Greyscale photo of a crowd crossing the street.
Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Here’s the thing: Some of us just aren’t good at anything — not, everything. I mean anything.

Some of us are just mediocre at most, decent at best, and that’s it. We’ve hit the plateau in so many jobs, skills or hobbies while others around us just skyrocket. “There’s no competition, your personal growth will be rewarded.” But then their stats keep getting higher and ours remains the same. We feel our energy and drive erode. Some of us feel left behind.

Some of us just don’t get better at the things we do or like to do. We’ve tried to improve and prove we can get past the hurdle. Countless hours are put into following guidelines and success stories. “Here’s the number one thing you need to do, in order to make it!” But then no one likes it. No one even sees it. Some of us don’t ever get our breakthrough.

Some of us don’t even know what we’re good at. We’ve dabbled in so many different things to find our niche and what our purpose might be. Excitement is poured into news ideas and trial-and-error periods. “I’m happy I at least tried it out”. But then we still wipe our tears and have to move on. We feel confused and frustrated. Some of us are just lost.

To that some, I say: You are the Jacks and Jills-of-all-trades. You are the masters of none. You are the handy versatile people who don’t gain enough expertise in one area, yet can achieve work in almost any. And that is so special.

Can you imagine a world where everyone was supposed to fit one desired framework and excel at it? It would be awful. The world needs more people who can’t or won’t fit into one box. Some of us are divergent. Some of us just don’t fit one mould.

Think of the experiences you’ve had and the things you can do compared to others who are only good at one or a few things. Your tool belt is extensive, your story is compelling and your personal growth is vibrant. And while it may feel grey now, down the line, I hope you look back and see how resilient you are.

--

--

Abby Cheval

Millennial, noncommittal romantic, walking the tightrope between hope and depression. Sounds like you too? I’ll write something for both of us.