Being “Third-Rate” Might Actually Change the World

This year marks my 17th year since getting my acupuncture license.

I don’t socialize much with other acupuncturists, but since it’s a craft-based profession, most practitioners seem to be striving to become “first-rate.” You hear it all the time: “Aim for the top! Master your technique and your character!”

But here’s the thing — I’m a bit of a butterfly. Even when I commit to mastering something, my interest wanders and I can’t stick with it. (Ha!)

I admired the idea of being first-rate, but deep down I’d already given up on that path. And I felt a sense of inferiority about it.

“A craftsperson who isn’t first-rate is a failure,” I thought.
“You have to master one thing,” I told myself.

Then I discovered a book called “The Recommendation of Being Third-Rate.”

Not “Third-Rate Is Okay” — “Third-Rate Is BETTER”

The book argues for becoming third-rate — but not in the way you might think.

In ancient China, they actually said: “Give the nation to a third-rate person.”

The meaning of “third-rate” was completely different back then:

• First-rate: a person with one specialty
• Second-rate: a person with two specialties
• Third-rate: a person with many specialties

Someone with only one specialty can’t see things from multiple angles and may become intolerant of those who think differently.

That’s why leaders — the people who moved nations — were chosen from among the “third-rate.”

When you hear it that way, the perception shifts dramatically, doesn’t it?

But wait — doesn’t that actually sound harder than being first-rate? (Ha!)
Mastering one thing is tough enough. Mastering three or more? That’s what third-rate demands…

Here’s Where It Gets Personal

Remember when I said I’m a butterfly? Apparently, that’s actually a characteristic of third-rate people. (Ha!)

The Japanese character for “getting bored” (飽) contains the image of a baby in the belly — meaning “I’m full!”

“Getting bored” means you’ve had your fill. You’ve consumed everything it has to offer.

A first-rate person is someone whose appetite never runs out for one thing. A third-rate person’s appetite fills up quickly — but then moves on to the next thing, and the next.

So when a butterfly-type person says “I’m bored,” they’ve actually completed their meal on that topic.

And that means: time to move on to the next dish!

Reframing “first-rate” and “easily bored” this way completely transformed the negative image I’d been carrying. What a relief!