I was recently watching a video on Ted Talks and took a moment to look up at the tabs I had opened. I had three Elite Daily articles, two Ted Talks videos, and a Harvard Business Review article open. Even though I visit each of these websites multiple times a day, I asked myself, “Why do I read these articles and watch these videos every day?”
The answer quickly came to me: I want to make myself the best person I can possibly be. Elite people have a different mindset than the average person. We aspire to become the best, while the rest remain in the quicksand of mediocrity.
Elite people have a drive that motivates them to achieve, to accomplish. We never settle for less. We want the best for ourselves and always keep the future in mind. Anything less than a lavish lifestyle complete with expensive cars, big houses and vacations around the world shouldn’t be enough for us.
While we should be appreciative of what we have and never take anything for granted, we should always aspire for more. Average people limit themselves. They are content with having a regular life. Most of them don’t have goals and if they do, they make little or no effort to actually accomplish them.
With an Elite mindset, you must never stop improving yourself and your life. Create the person you want to be and become that person. You can be whoever you want to be, so make that person great. Make your definition of success and don’t let yourself stop pursuing your dreams. When you settle, you become average. The fact of the matter is, average people make no impact on the world. They are simply white noise when you look at the big picture.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some very pleasant people who have lived happy lives. But I question that happiness. People who have huge potential for success, but settle for an ordinary lifestyle think back with regrets. They wish they had taken that chance. They regret not putting in the effort required. If you are lucky enough to have an elite mindset, don’t take it for granted. Don’t become ordinary.
Most people plan on getting a decent job and starting a family. They want to live in a nice neighborhood in the suburbs and grow old with their wife. This common life plan hurts our progress as a society. Average people focus on these basic ideas, thinking it’s what’s important. In reality, we should be trying to help improve society, not just be a part of it. I do plan on having children, but I feel that my purpose goes beyond just raising kids. Carrying on the family name isn’t enough anymore.
Your name means nothing right now. You need to go out and tell the world who you are. Elite people make a difference and that’s what you should plan on doing.
As kids, we all had our heroes. One of mine was Michael Jordan and as you all know, he was cut from his high school JV basketball team. Now, an average person would’ve looked to offload the blame or begin to doubt his own ability. Most people accept this and give up. Not Michael, he used this to motivate himself. He didn’t stop believing in himself and went on to be the best basketball player of all time. He was able to do this because he had an elite mindset. He didn’t stop until he achieved greatness.
I truly believe that mindset is the most important part of a person because it determines how we react to things and how we get things done. Elite minded people know exactly what they need to do to reach their goals. But sometimes we fail to realize that it’s not always a question of if we are going to accomplish something, but more importantly, how we are going to do it.
Normality should be looked down upon. Those who live an average life have given up on developing themselves as a person and accepted defeat. Life is a battle and a measly salary of 30k a year is not winning unless you are helping change the world in a significant way. Never stop improving yourself and never stop reaching for your goals. When you give up, you lose your elite mindset and accept a life of mediocrity. Go out and make something of yourself in this world. That’s what Elite people do.
James Simkins | Elite.
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