Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, Ray Dalio, Serena Williams, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Grant Cardone, Robert Kiyosaki, Dean Graziosi, Warren Buffet, Richard Branson, Mark Cuban…the list goes on… and on…. What do all these people have in common?
1. They had above average thinking.
2. Because of their thinking, they executed above average actions.
3. As a result of their above average thinking and actions, they got outstanding, way above average levels of success.
But what is “average” in the first place? Let’s start with the basics: its definition.
Average: typical, common, ordinary.
Did you find any sort of inspiration when you read this? Typical, common, ordinary….
I didn’t, and the reason is because it doesn’t covey any meaning related to greatness and success. On the other hand, let’s take a look at the definition for “outstanding”.
Outstanding: prominent, marked by superiority or distinction, distinguished, out of the ordinary.
Now that is something worthy of striving for. To be outstanding at what we do so that we can achieve outstanding levels of success.
Average is a failing formula
As Grant Cardone would say, average is a failing formula. If you are willing to achieve the level of success that you desire and deserve, you must discard the word “average” from your mind and from your daily habits and actions. It shouldn’t even be on your vocabulary.
So then, how can we become “outstanding” individuals”? The answer lies in this quote from Aristotle:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”
In other words, we must choose and develop the habits that will make us people of excellence, or in other words, outstanding people. We will dive now into some habits that you must adopt to be admitted into the hall of fame of the outstanding.
Outstanding people invest in their Self-Development
“If you work hard at your job, you can make a living. If you work hard at yourself, you can make a fortune.”
Personal development is one of the most important factors that will determine your level of success. In fact, your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.
You must be willing to constantly be expanding your skills and your knowledge in your field. By doing this, not only are you increasing your own value in the marketplace, but you are also increasing your own ability to create the life you want. In fact, that is one of the purposes of goals. The most valuable and fulfilling aspect of achieving a goal is not the goal itself, but the person you become in the process of achieving the goal.
“It’s not about achieving the goal. It’s about who you become in order to achieve the goal. The juice is in the growth.”
Outstanding people are goal oriented
Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into visible. Successful people are goal oriented and always pay more attention to the target than the challenges. Your ability to remain focused and committed to your goals is vital to your success. That is why is very important to write them down and also review them periodically. I have included a link below in case you want to learn more about goals setting.
Outstanding people Overdeliver
There is a story of an elderly lady who walked into a Philadelphia department store. Most of the clerks there ignored her (the average), but one young man (the outstanding one) asked if he could help her. When she replied that she was just waiting for the rain to end, he didn’t try to sell her something she didn’t want. Instead, he brought her a chair. The lady thanked the young clerk and asked for his card. A few months later, the owner of the store received a letter asking that this young man be sent to Scotland to take orders for furnishing an entire castle! The old lady was Andrew Carnegie’s mother. By the time the young clerk had his bags packed for Scotland, he was a partner in that department store.
When you deliver more and better service than what you are paid for, you open up for yourself the doors of opportunity and the chance to be recognized as an excellent contributor.
Average people don’t overdeliver. In fact, they barely deliver on what they promise. By overdelivering on your commitments, you will rapidly lift yourself to higher grounds, in which you can see and recognize opportunity, and it can see you.
Outstanding people focus on Opportunity
“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.”
Outstanding people see all situations, even problems and challenges, as opportunities. In fact, success is overcoming a challenge. Where average people see difficulty, the outstanding people see an opportunity to solve a problem. The bigger the problem, the bigger is the reward. Remember, when you focus on something, you end up finding it. If you focus on opportunity, you will find it.
Outstanding people make prompt and definite decisions
Outstanding and successful people don’t let themselves to be bothered by indecision. They make decisions promptly and definitely, and are slow in changing them (if they are changed at all). On the other hand, unsuccessful people are slow in making decisions, and they change these decisions quickly and often.
Lack of decision is one of the most common causes of failure. When you must make a decision, gather all the data and facts that you need, analyze them, consult them with people more experienced than you if needed, and come up with your own decision. You can’t afford to procrastinate on this.
Outstanding people NEVER QUIT
The ability to persist on any given path or goal, regardless of circumstances, setbacks, or temporary defeats is a common trait of the outstanding people. Here are a few examples:
1. Silvester Stallone got rejection after rejection for his movie script “Rocky”. Various movie companies told him that “it was too predictable” and “uninspiring”. They told him he couldn’t act, and he got financially broke during the process. He did not quit. He kept trying. One day, one company said “yes”. Rocky was filmed, and it was a huge success.
2. Henry Ford failed in many attempts to create an automobile that would serve the people. Even the first versions of his famous Model T had 5 years of failures before success. He did not quit. He kept trying. The Model T became the best automobile in the world, and Ford revolutionized the automobile industry of his time.
3. Walt Disney’s concept for one of the most visited tourist sites and theme parks in North America was turned down over 300 times by bankers and financiers. He did not quit. And as a result of this, today we have several theme parks in different parts of the world in which we can have a great time and create beautiful memories with our loved ones.
4. At the age of sixty-five, Harland Sanders (creator of Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises), after running a restaurant for several years, found himself penniless. He started travelling by car to different restaurants and cooked his fried chicken on the spot for restaurant owners. If the owner liked the chicken, they would enter into a handshake agreement to sell his chicken. He was turned down 1009 times before his chicken was accepted once! He did not quit.
5. Thomas Edison tried more than 10,000 experiments during the process of inventing the electric light bulb. He persisted on his goal until he succeeded. He did not quit.
6. In 1985, 10 years after he founded Apple, Steve Jobs was fired from his own company. This event impacted Steve Jobs deeply in the way he thought, and how he would innovate and use technology as a tool to change the way billions of people live. He returned to Apple in 1997, boosted Apple into the stratosphere and completely revolutionized a whole industry. Certainly, the comeback is always stronger.
Winners never quit, and a quitter never wins.
Outstanding people are Self-Disciplined
Self-discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. Inspiration and motivation get us started, but consistent self-discipline is what gets us to the accomplishment of our goals.
You must use self-discipline to do any activity, regardless of how uncomfortable it may be, until that activity becomes a habit. Remember, our results are defined by our habits.
There may be days in which you will not feel like working on your goals is what you want to do. And is precisely on these moments that you must exercise your self-discipline muscle. Your self-discipline muscle will get stronger the more you use it. On the other hand, if you neglect to use it, it will grow weaker.
None of the principles I have showed you on this article will serve their purpose in your life unless you apply them with consistent self-discipline. It’s not what we do occasionally what defines our level of success, but what we do consistently.