It was really hard for me to be OK with being mediocre. In anything. And it’s not that I’m competitive with others - primarily I’m hard on myself and looking to beat my own performance.
Realizing it was OK to suck and to do things for fun really opened up some hobbies. But I couldn’t imagine showing up for 40+ hours a week and being mediocre. That would burn me out because I’d be using skills or doing a job outside of my natural ability and seeing mediocre results. I’d keep looking until I found a role that a) paid the bills and b) used enough of my education or talent to be at least good with a moderate level of effort.
The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great by Ray Bennett
First, let go of this need that you have to achieve things. You try and keep up with others, to be better than others, but it's OK to be mediocre.
Counterpoint though, in today's economy, people are forced to achieve and push for higher wages, just to keep a roof over their head. That's another source of stress and worry, and that's down to government and international economic policy to solve.