How to Be Mediocre at Everything

HOW TO BE MEDIOCRE AT A LOT OF THINGS BUT NOT GOOD AT ANYTHING

Written and Illustrated by Cadence Lewis

Copyright © Cadence Lewis, 2022 Written and Illustrated by Cadence Lewis Special thanks to the mother and sisters of Cadence for editing text, coming up with hobbies such as unicorn jousting and dwarf geocaching, and the name Claudio

HOW TO BE MEDIOCRE AT A LOT OF THINGS BUT NOT GOOD AT ANYTHING Written and Illustrated by Cadence Lewis

1

2

Contents Intro............................................................... 4 Step 1.............................................................. 6 Step 2............................................................ 8 Step 3............................................................12 Step 4 ...........................................................14 Step 5............................................................16 A word of advice.................................... 18 A word of caution...................................19 Farewell......................................................20

3

As Told By Sir Claudio

I get it, there are so many talented people in the world, how could you ever measure up?

Let’s be honest though, being really good at one thing is so much more boring than being sort of good at a lot of things. Plus, I hear it takes a lifetime to master a skill. Unless a necromancer owes you a favor, you probably only have one lifetime at your disposal. Don’t worry though, keep reading! I’ll teach you how to cultivate your own hoard of versatile interests to show off.

4

How to be Mediocre at Everything

5

As Told By Sir Claudio

Cultivate a Passion for the World This is the first and most important step. It will be your fuel for the entirety of your learning experience, and luckily for you, there’s plenty of amazing things in the world to be passionate about!

Steps to cultivate a passion for the world: 1) find something in the world 2) notice how awesome it is 3) repeat indefinitely

The world harbors never-ending potential for any who care enough to explore it.

6

How to be Mediocre at Everything

7

As Told By Sir Claudio

8

How to be Mediocre at Everything

Exposure to a lot of Different Things Develop a general awareness of the many possible endeavors you could pursue. Use the internet to your advantage! It’s your broadest source of unlimited knowledge, harboring plenty of new, easily discoverable content and hobbies. It also connects you to people and experiences that can further your mediocrity journey.

Delve into places you wouldn’t normally be inclined to explore. Maybe you’ll find something you never expected to love. It takes searching to discover what resonates with you the most, and spending time in a wide variety of endeavors takes you on a journey of self discovery. Plus, it’s just fun to learn what exists for your enjoyment. The possibilities for your hoard of interests are endless, finding them is an adventure in of itself.

9

As Told By Sir Claudio

Similarly, your friends will connect you to new ideas and interests. Plus, they’ll help you out if you get stuck on your learning journey. Shared interests are exciting to enjoy together!

It doesn’t matter if your friends are experts, the smallest pinch of knowledge from a friend can point you in the right direction and get you out of a rut.

10

How to be Mediocre at Everything

Make friends with people who have a variety of interests, too.

Keep in mind that different friends have different life experiences.

Logically, the greater the pool of interests between all of your friends, the more possible things for you to learn. The witch living down the street and the ogre you went to school with have different wisdom to impart, after all.

11

As Told By Sir Claudio

Withhold Judgement and Fear Remember: judgment limits your possibilities, fear stops you from pursuing them in the first place. When they pay you a visit, an aggressive display of confidence should scare them off for a while. (It’s okay to fake it til you make it).

Anything can be a skill or interest and there is a 99% chance that there is a questionable group of people adamantly supporting said interest.

(Sometimes known as a fandom.)

Unicorn jousting? There’s a group for that. Iambic pentameter for dummies?

Sign up here. Gold-polishing? Join the local club. Juggling lit candelabras?

Simping for fairytale characters?

Geocaching with dwarves? Believe me, if you can imagine it, there’s people doing it. They will be incredibly excited for another avid fan to join their ranks.

12

How to be Mediocre at Everything

13

As Told By Sir Claudio

14

How to be Mediocre at Everything

Learn how you Learn In the end, this whole thing is about learning, so spend some time reflecting on how new information sticks with you the best. It could be that wandering through the forest with nothing but an axe is the fastest way to train your survival skills, or maybe tagging along when your ranger friend goes camping is the better learning experience. Perhaps you prefer to listen to your ranger friend warn you of the perils of the forest and THEN set off on your own. It all depends on the person.

Don’t concentrate too hard on remembering every detail, but keep track of the most important ones. As a rule of thumb, if your knowledge can impress a teenager but bore a wizard then you’re doing this right.

15

As Told By Sir Claudio

Jump Right In Do you really have time to beat around the bush? There are so many things to try! Work on the projects or plan the experiences that inspire you the most. Starting big maximizes efficiency, too. You aren’t striving for expertise so learn on the job, make mistakes, and have fun experimenting.

Don’t be afraid to buy all of the tools you need. (Chances are, they’ll come in handy later, too), then dive headfirst into your new hobby. A little research and a lot of winging it can go a long way - but feel free to draw up your game plan, sign up for a helpful class, or subscribe to an inspiring internet page if it will be helpful on your learning journey.

Then get started!

16

How to be Mediocre at Everything

17

As Told By Sir Claudio

A Word of Advice Familiarity is key. Mediocrity and familiarity are practically synonyms!

Remember - you need only be slightly familiar with something to include it as an interest, even if your skills or level of dedication are far from perfect. Expertise is unnecessary here, let go of your perfectionism.

Hyperfixation: the ultra concentration of concentrations that keeps you intensely motivated. Useful for developing a skill or interest in a very short time via exceptional focus on said skill or interest. Also useful because the resulting burnout allows you to move on to new hyperfixations and grow your hoard. It is highly recommended to have a healthy dose of hyperfixation.

18

How to be Mediocre at Everything

A Word of Caution Beware the gatekeepers.

People will try to tell you that you aren’t dedicated enough to claim true appreciaton for something.

Their words may bite, but they are irrelevant. In the face of these perils, don’t forget your true goal of mediocrity. After all, the only entry level qualification to enjoy something is simply that: to enjoy it.

(Tip: If you’re mediocre at stealthing, you could probably even steath past the gatekeepers with moderate success.)

19

As Told By Sir Claudio

Versatility is a skill in and of itself.

Some skills aren’t as tangible as others and versatility, even in mediocrity, is definitely one of those skills. The value of versatility is insurmountable. You never know when you need a random item or when a random skill will come in handy.

Good luck on your mediocrity journey, my friend. You can do this!

How to be Mediocre at Everything

21