Why Being Average and Mediocre Is the Most Dangerous Way To Live Your Life.

6 Feb

The majority of people on the planet today are allowing large amounts of mediocrity to overwhelm their lives

Living an average life is the hardest form of human existence.

Being average has nothing to do with your status or income. I know many senior executives living in big houses who are miserable inside.

An elite life is living to your highest possible potential and according to the values that you hold most dearly however you choose to define it.

You can have all the money in the world, but if you had to sell large parts of your soul to get it then that’s not elite at all. That’s worse than average.

Being average is:

Choosing safety over taking calculated risks
Delaying action due to procrastination
Living according to other people’s expectations
Holding back due to the fear of judgment
Quitting when things get hard
Choosing to surround yourself with toxic people

Being average is a choice, not a designation of wealth or status.

“The majority of people on the planet today are allowing large amounts of mediocrity to overwhelm their lives” — everything from how they think work, think, speak and eat writes Robin Sharma.

In short, being average is a mindset. A psychological prison that the majority of people get trapped in. And the most secure prisons are the ones we create for ourselves.

This is great news. No matter where you are in life right now, you can decide to become elite at any moment. Escaping your prison is as simple as changing your mindset to elevate your life.

Average actions produce average results. Take these actions instead.

Most people make average decisions every day.

Watching too much Netflix
Spending whatever they earn immediately
Numbing themselves through alcohol or drugs

Average decisions compounded over a long period of time produce average results. Sometimes even negative returns if your habits are unhealthy.

Average choices now will make your life harder later.

An elite life doesn’t require much more effort. You don’t need to overhaul your life to create meaningful change. Taking a few simple but highly leveraged actions every day is enough to set you apart from the crowd.

Some high-leverage activities include:

Reading 10 pages of a book
Exercising for 30 minutes
2 minutes of mindfulness
20 minutes of writing

If you can do these 4 actions in some form every day, you’ll eclipse 90% of the people and quickly reach an elite level of life. Not to mention the flow-on effects on your health, relationships, and productivity.

Average rewards are the most competed over.

If you play average games, expect average rewards.

By definition, being average means that’s where the most people are concentrated. So when everyone is competing for the same rewards, expect competition.

Everyone wants a secure, salaried job with benefits. Since there are so many candidates, employers don’t really need to over-extend themselves to keep you.

You are just a number. If you disappeared tomorrow, they will have someone on your desk before your family could send out a search and rescue party.

Placed in this dynamic, most people start competing for that next title or 3% annual raise. Employers are paying you the least amount possible to keep you in a job. You can’t expect outsized rewards for average performance.

Since starting my business I finally understand the fallacy of a salaried job. Not to say that I will never work in one again, but I’ll never rely on a full-time job to be my main source of income.

Average people abide by all the rules of society

I am not advocating that we all start jaywalking and pissing on the streets.

The rules I am talking about are society’s unspoken rules. The expectation that we all feel to be seen as a ‘normal’ and ‘productive’ person holds us back.

These are expectations that are placed on us from when we are young. They are invisible and incredibly difficult to spot.

Here are some of the best hits:

Rack up college debt
Sell yourself to a soul-less corporate job
Settle for a mediocre relationship and get married
Over leverage yourself for a mortgage and buy a car(s) you don’t need
Hope that having children will save your marriage

The results of following all of society’s rules accumulate. The great filter starts to happen at the age of 25 years old.

I just turned 27 and I’ve got friends I feel like are settling for society’s rules for them. They are in unfulfilling relationships, purchasing a house they can’t afford to impress people they don’t even like.

Most will die at 30 but won’t be buried until 80.

The most common regret of the dying was “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” What would you rather experience, the pain of believing in yourself or the pain of regret?

An elite mindset interprets society’s unspoken rules as guidelines. Useful to provide some structure to life, but ultimately non-binding.

Average people attract other average people

“People love you when you are average, because it makes them comfortable.
But when you pursue greatness, it makes people uncomfortable.
Be prepared to lose some people on your journey.”
― Tony Gaskins Jr.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Neurons that wire together, fire together.

What you feel like you are is what you attract.

You are the average of the five closest people around you.

You get it. Average attracts average. Misery loves company. You will never become elite if you surround yourself with average minds.

Average people don’t understand risk.

“Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty”
— Tim Ferriss

The biggest risk in life is taking none at all.

Imagine getting to the end of your life and proudly proclaiming that you never took a risk or bet on yourself. I could not think of a worse way to live my life.

Average minds only see risk as a negative. They try to minimize all types of risks. They forget to understand that not all risks are created equally.

Like diabetes, there are two types of risks:

Risk #1: Limited downside, unbounded upside.
Risk #2: Unlimited downside, bounded upside.

Elite minds are able to quickly identify opportunities that are Risk #1 and exploit them. These include:

Starting an online business
Content creation
Creating digital products

These risks mean you can only lose your initial investment and nothing more. You can’t sell negative e-books or get negative returns on a social media post.

Average minds don’t understand the difference and load themselves up with Risk #2. These include:

Relying on one job to fund your entire lifestyle with no cash savings or diversified revenue streams.
Over-leveraging themselves to buy a big house or new car they don’t need but want.
Making low-integrity decisions that can damage your reputation and personal brand.

These risks seem safe but can destroy you overnight.

What does this mean for you?

Being average should be your biggest fear.

Develop an allergy to average choices and an addiction to taking elite actions. It’s easier than you might think.

—————————-

If you enjoyed this article, you can connect with me HERE.

You can also support more of my work by becoming a Medium Member using my referral link: michael-lim.medium.com

Guest User