This Is How to Outperform 99% of People
Not to be a competitive loser, but to achieve the good life.
High performance makes life easier.
Most people are stuck in the middle. The messy middle is exhausting. You waste your whole life waiting for permission, or trying to get an opportunity.
Once you’re in the top 1% of your field, everything comes to you.
You become a magnet.
I did a calculation recently. I’m in the top 1% of writers, globally. Not saying that to brag, but using it as context. I know this stuff inside out.
Here are the killer ideas you can copy.
The equation for success (1+1=3)
The secret to high performance is to see the world better than it is.
That’s bloody hard when a health crisis, war, and the Australian floods are consuming most people’s attention where I live.
The world isn’t logical. High performance is illogical.
It shouldn’t be possible that a few people can get unfair advantages by thinking differently. Yet here we are.
1+1 = 3 … if you use optimism to solve the equation.
Humans are freaking smart. We can fix hard problems that look impossible.
You can have a mind full of garbage, or be mindfully connected to the present moment.
The best in the world focus on now and what they can control. The rest is noise.
Deep work after hours
The work I did after hours while working in a bank bought me the high-performing career I eventually built online.
I had a choice: Netflix or write.
I chose to write. It wasn’t always easy.
Australian culture loves to go to the pub after work and have a beer and parma. I’d have to resist.
“Sorry guys, I’m writing tonight. See you tomorrow.”
They judged me for it.
But, now, most of them are still stuck in that hellhole call center I once worked in – the one where taking a piss gets timed by the Cisco phone used to answer calls.
Pro tip:
The deep work you do after hours gets amplified with noise blockers. I use a website like “A Soft Murmur” to block out the noise. Less noise equals more focus.
Make money online
Mastering a skill costs time. Time is money.
The fastest way to get more time is to make money online. This used to be an urban myth. Now it’s so simple a 5th grader could figure it out.
Go where conversation happens for free. Take part. Notice the problems. Build a digital solution. Sell it on a platform like Gumroad.
There are millions of others ways. You’re smart. You know them.
By making money online I had more and more time to master the art of writing. You can too. Don’t be a snoozer.
Speak to people two steps ahead of you
Don’t email Gary Vee for advice. He’s too busy.
My biggest hack is to surround yourself with people who have similar results. Two steps ahead is a good gauge.
For example, I have 4000 Twitter followers. Most of my Twitter friends have between 4000-6000 followers.
I could message the 1 million follower accounts but they’ll simply ignore me.
Invest in relationships where it’s possible to have a conversation. Learn from people who’ve been where you are right now.
Outperformance is a self-fulfilling prophecy when you grow with like-minded people. Stop making it hard by DMing Gary Vee for a charity call.
A killer set of podcasts
Your information diet determines your performance.
I got stuck in traffic today for 2 hours. Bloody car accident. But, you know what, I didn’t give a damn. I got to spend 2 hours with Tim Ferris in my crappy Honda Civic.
The podcast was devine. It sparked an idea for a new article.
When I caught up with my friend, we spoke about the podcast. Then I got home and had dinner with my wife and she’d listened to the same episode.
The podcasts I love right now all help me write better online. Ones from the likes of Dan Koe, Nicolas Cole (Ship 30 for 30), and Justin Welsh.
Consume information full of strategies you can use, not fluff that’s unactionable.
Exercise in the morning to wake your lazy brain up
Don’t talk to me in the morning. Ever.
I’ll bite your freaking head off. Just ask my wife!
That’s why I go to the gym to exercise. It wakes up my brain and switches on those gorgeous endorphins that run my day and help keep my thoughts positive.
Move your body to create momentum every day. A body and mind in action will eventually outperform 99% of people.
Study the mind
High performers think differently. They don’t binge-watch the news like losers.
After spending 8 years studying what the best in the world do, there’s one pattern: they understand psychology.
If you understand how your brain works you can predict the future.
You can get leverage on your brain that wants to keep you safe and comfortable – both the enemies of success and the good life.
Think your way to a completely different life.
Takeaway
You outperform 99% of people when you build a habit stack focused on growth, not escapism.
If I can, you can.
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