Being an underachiever

Underachievers are the best, most dependable workers. This may seem counterintuitive but the key here is that while some achievement is necessary and good for productivity, a lot of it is dangerous to you and everyone around you. And if you have a wide enough perspective, you’ll see it’s also an exercise in futility. The assumptions underlying this statement can be found among Bennet’s “Principles of Underachievement:”

• Life’s too short.

• Control is an illusion.

• Expectations lead to misery.

• Great expectations lead to great misery.

• Achievement creates expectations.

• The law of diminishing returns applies everywhere.

• Perfect is the enemy of good.

• The tallest blade of grass is the surest to be cut.

• Accomplishment is in the eye of the beholder.