I did my best to avoid social media at all costs but I estimate coming into contact with 17,456 memes last year.
The midwit meme took the crown.
According to the last credible source on the internet (urban dictionary) — a midwit is someone who is around average intelligence but is so opinionated and full of themselves that they think they're some kind of genius.
My wife would tell you this describes me to a T and I’d be hard pressed to disagree.
So I wondered….
Is there a cure for midwit disease? If so, what is it?
The issue: if you’re a midwit (like me), most answers that come to mind will be midwit answers.
First, let’s admit that we’ll never be the guy on the right.
The main mistake midwits make is in thinking they are wiser than they are. They try to find seductively complicated answers to a straightforward problem when the simple yet effective answer was staring them in the eyes.
Second, if we can find a way to be more like the guy on the left, then we should come to the same conclusion as the guy on the right.
Let’s rediscover the simple yet effective answer and show it the proper respect it deserves.
But how do we find those?
That brings us to our third point — the art of inversion.
Simply grab a piece of paper and write down your goal, write down all the ways that would guarantee failure, and avoid those.
Example 1: “I want to become healthier this year.”
Midwits will scour the internet for days searching for a miracle pill or follow an Instagram guru who preaches fad-diet-of-your-choice as the one and only path to righteousness.
How about this instead — ask how you would guarantee you’d be unhealthy this year?
Eat fast food thrice daily
Erratic sleep schedule
Join a gym and never show up
Hang out with obese people
Now simply reverse those:
Eat home cooked meals
Consistent sleep schedule
Actually utilize that gym membership
Hang out with fit people
Ignore the complex junk and take the simple yet effective answer to heart.
Example 2: “I want to become a better writer this year.”
Midwits will mirror ridiculous routines of famous writers (like John Steinbeck needing two dozen sharpened pencils on his desk) or researching the perfect platform to publish on.
How about this instead — ask how you would guarantee you’d become a horrible writer who never wrote a single word worth reading?
Only write when you feel inspired by the muse
Complain about the algorithm not distributing your “amazing” stuff
Write about topics you think others care about
Again, simply reverse those:
Write every day no matter how you feel
Write stuff so good that people can’t help but share it
Write about topics you are curious about and would love to read yourself
This isn’t rocket science.
You don’t need to be smart, just avoid being stupid.
Likes, comments, and caffeine below
Some people I know IRL are more likely to fall into the category of ‘nitwit’ for which I am convinced there is no cure whatsoever.
For ‘midwits’ perhaps there is although it might require a light source like the lights of a traffic control tower to find it
Maybe we need Midwits Anonymous meetings. "Hi my name is Rick. And I'm addicted to my mediocre opinions."