The original is here: https://timdenning.substack.com/p/if-the-average-person-did-this-for-077
Being average is hell on Earth.
It’s a boring, lifeless, pandering, people-pleasing disaster that leads you to a dead end, and shortly after, off a cliff. Don’t do it, it’s a bear trap.
You can do better than average without much extra effort.
“There is no normal/average. A ‘normal person’ is what is left after society has squeezed out all unconventional opinions and aspirations out of a human being.”
– Sylvia Path
Why would you let society beat you down and leave you with scraps and food stamps?
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos goes a step further and says “The world pulls at you in an attempt to make you normal.” Your job is to fight the resistance, to stay the hell away from normal and the terrible rewards it offers.
I’m going to help you do it in the next 6 months. Here’s the blueprint below.
Being average is a sin – Zach Pogrob
Pretend rules don’t exist
The nanny police are gonna light my skinny ass on fire for this one.
I’ve been lucky to meet many ultra-successful people in my life. Everyone from Tony Robbins to Gary Vee. When I worked in banking I got to meet the founders of some of the biggest companies in the world.
One thing always stuck with me: they believed there are basically zero rules.
None of these people ever let rules get in the way. They saw rules as guidelines at best. Often, if they wanted to disrupt an industry they had to disregard the rules and even create new ones.
Average people don’t do this. They see rules as fixed roadblocks that scream “Computer says no, buddy!” Well, you can make the computer say yes to your dreams if you’re willing to.
Rules are often set by gatekeepers who want to keep the power and control for themselves. My favorite part about living in these modern times is the internet keeps giving the middle finger to the rules.
Just a few months ago banks were still trying to block Bitcoin. As of a few hours ago we’ve gone parabolic. The internet said “F*ck traditional money” and society has finally accepted it.
Whether you’re a crypto bro or not doesn’t matter. The point is the rules are being rewritten every day. Why can’t you do the same? Hint: you can.
Have conversations with strangers
Your measure of success comes down to how many uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have. And talking to strangers is as uncomfortable as it gets.
I’ve been studying Timothy Leary lately. He’s most famous for his thoughts on LSD.
He’s a total tripper in many ways, but gee does he have some kickass, mind-bending views (must be all the magic mushrooms). He said this:
The more you try to fit in, the more you feel like an outsider, watching the ‘normal people’ as they go about their automatic existences.
This hit me hard. I’ve never fit in. I’ve always been a weirdo.
In society Timothy says we have club passwords like ‘Have a nice day’ and ‘Weather’s awful today, eh?’ But we’re dying to say forbidden things such as ‘Tell me something that makes you cry’ or ‘What do you think deja vu is for?’
I often think to myself when I meet a stranger, “Yeah but why do what you do?!”
Timothy says if you want to escape the hell of average, you must take more chances on having conversations with strangers.
Everybody carries a piece of the puzzle.
Nobody comes into your life by mere coincidence.
Trust your instincts.
Do the unexpected.
Find the others.
Inside the minds of strangers is the wisdom you could never figure out on your own. Stop drowning in loneliness and frustration and reach out to a new person every day for the next 6 months.
Watch your network explode. Watch your life change forever.
Always stick to what makes you weird, odd, strange, different. That’s your source of power – Robert Greene
Do things that remind you that you’re not average
Our identity is a powerful drug.
It determines the decisions we make and even the career we choose. Transforming your identity is crucial. Once you escape the label of average you’ve got to maintain it.
That’s why it’s crucial to do things that remind you that you’re not like everyone else.
It’s why I write online. It reminds me I’m a weirdo. It’s why I say crazy statements in front of local government such as “But what if they’re pedos?” or “Could they be a charity pretending to do good while quietly doing evil?”
I get all sorts of crazy stares when I say the quiet parts out loud. The more you do it the more addictive it gets.
Every day it’s important to take weird actions or you’ll get handcuffed by #normal and end up a boring person who follows the rules, never uses their creativity, and makes a decade feel like a year.
The two big choices in life
#1 Take risks
#2 Work for those who take risks
Average people choose option two. They can’t stomach taking any risk at all. They focus on the downsides, the risks, and the failure they feel is a guarantee.
But if you don’t take risks all you end up with are regrets that rot your mind slowly over time. It’s mental torture if you let it happen.
I prefer to take calculated risks. I do my research. I expect failure to happen. And when it does, I figure out why so I can learn from it. I also learn from other people’s failures so I don’t have to make the same mistakes.
Right now, write down all of the risks you took in the last 12 months. If you end up with a blank page then you’re in the fast lane for mediocrity.
The good news is you can escape. Start taking calculated risks.
Adopt this skill that takes seconds to learn
The average person moves at the pace of a snail.
There’s no urgency. They continuously shift goals to ‘someday, mate.’ They can’t stick to anything. Their habits list is full of heroin addictions like TikTok.
All you have to do to reverse these diabolical outcomes is adopt a sense of urgency.
- Set deadlines.
- Tell people your expectations.
- Be unreasonable in how quick you need other people to take action.
- Make your 10-year goals 6-month goals.
Going faster doesn’t require extra brains or a 4-year college degree.
It just needs you to understand you could die any day now, so hurry the f*ck up and make your dreams a reality or you’ll miss out on life (pardon my French).
There are only two kinds of issues in life
- Skill issues
- Will issues
Average people are overskilled. And people who think they don’t have the right skills are often just lacking will.
A lack of will is often covered up with perfectionism, complexity, overthinking, seeking out endless free mentors, or even believing you need more resources (money).
“Will” is emotional intelligence. “Skill” is intellectual intelligence.
As we move out of the over information age, intelligence and skill acquisition are becoming less relevant. What you need is the will.
The will to be bold.
The will to help others.
The will to make a change.
The will to reprogram your mind.
The will to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.
The will to live rather than be an NPC (non-player character).
Do the boring things that are often missed
The last step is to do the boring things average people think are cliche and overly simplistic. To become unrecognizable in 6 months, do this:
- Eat food that gives you energy (instead of makes you feel like sh*t)
- Keep track of everything you’re grateful for (daily)
- Replace Netflix with auto-biographical books
- Walk in nature every day
- Help those with nothing
- Write online every day
- Spend time with family
- Quit all forms of p*rn
- Sleep for 8 hours
This list makes me sound like a self-help listicle guru. Good. Doing the opposite of 99% of people and being uncool is the fastest path to your version of success.
Final Thought
If the average person did these things above, they’d be unrecognizable to their friends & family in 6 months.
Family and friends will start to say “You’ve changed.” Good. People will either accept the new you or keep trying to hold you back.
Choose wisely.
How else can people escape being average? Tell me in the comments section below, so we can all learn from you.
