For some people Average is good. You fit in, you don’t cause any controversy and you acquire a fake feeling of safety as you think and act in the way most people do. When you Succeed, the majority does as well, so nobody will notice! And if things go wrong for the collective society around you, you go down the drains as well, but it is ‘okay’.
For some people, this exact thing is a Curse: They would hate to think they are like anybody else, they have a strong belief in their uniqueness and the moment their opinions and practices align with the majority, they know they did something wrong!
To find out if any such person is simply an idiot or a special person (highly talented by nature, a game-changer, genius), you need only one metric system: The amount of Success and Improvement he/she can demonstrate in relatively short amounts of time.
It is not my job to say whether one should aspire to be average or special. It is not my business to share my personal opinion about what is better. But one thing is for sure: I can help you identify the 10 typical characteristics of average people.
1) They think through borrowed models: Their natural and marvelous way of thinking, the one they had as happy and creative children, is suffocated and substituted by a certain crippling algorithm. If they keep following the pre-programmed steps, then they will meet their fate: Failure.
2) They are run by their instincts: We all have them! Does not mean they have to take over or run your life. Physical instincts are useful once observed and understood. Very often they can, should and will be satisfied as well. Your life-plan must have a greater purpose than serving the servants.
3) They complain a lot: Typical characteristic of mediocre individuals. It was always someone else’s fault and everything is always ‘too much’…
4) Emotionalism: There is no normal person in the world who is insensitive although you may think otherwise. Is it a coincidence that those high achievers anywhere display minimum sensitivities, at least in public? When people overestimate and emotionalize the significance of a simply natural phaenomenon or outcome, they become basic. Seemingly insensitive people choose to rise above and examine the big picture. You may know them as ‘Success-Stories’…
5) They enjoy comfort: Comfort is not synonymous to luxury or jet-set life. You can be comfortable in an outdoor camp with no amenities, watching Netflix on your tablet and eating chips all night, content and happy with your life. In the meantime, there is a guy or girl riding their private jet, arriving late, taking the Ferrari, changing outfits and grabbing a coffee in a hurry because they will do 3 interviews, 9 presentations and 4 meetings in that single day. Upon return home, a Bentley will pick them up, taking them to their summer-villa with a helicopter waiting. Is this person comfier? Nope, You are.
6) They surround themselves with people of mediocre achievement: Only 2 reasons they do this 1) they do not know any better, which makes sense, or 2) they enjoy having mediocre people around, so that they can ‘shine’. Winners embrace criticism when it comes from a superior voice and choose to play in League A facing the toughest possible competition, even if it is sometimes too much.
7) They compromise easily: Having low self-esteem results in terrible decisions that you regret soon after. Develop yourself further, and feel entitled to deserve better. In the end, you will get it because you demand it.
8) They care about what others think: The cashier in the supermarket raised her eye-brow and you lost sleep over it, a family member implied a stupid thing and you engage in an hour-long debate, your boss called you incompetent and you are considering throwing yourself out of the 46th floor. Any chance you might get real? At any point? Get on with it.
9) They are afraid of the future: Nowadays developments grow and disperse at insane speeds. Is it politics? Social Movements? Legal changes? Technological breakthroughs?… you name it. Average folks don’t see the opportunities created by change. They fear the trip to Mars because life on Earth is already a trial for them. Success stories embrace the future and shape it to their liking.
10) They feel envy: The All-time greats feel no envy. Michael Jordan felt respect when he first faced Reggie Miller and Kobe Bryant as he was entering the ‘aging legend’ status. He still outperformed them. When Beethoven met Mozart in Vienna in 1787, it was an event that affected both men. The story says that Ludwig even studied a bit with Wolfgang and the opposite was also true in terms of influence. Some of the greatest businessmen who currently experience loses because of Amazon’s aggressive expansion, still speak very highly of Jeff Bezos and his managerial skills. Lions respect strength! Competence respects skill! Those who keep complaining about the number of sharks in the pond (and the pond can be the ocean), are probably goldfish…
P.S. Future winners don’t get offended. They get woken-up, ALERT, crazy-motivated and highly competitive. plus one more thing you need not know until you practice the above 10 first…