Being Average Will Get You Nowhere: 3 Clichés To Avoid On Your Way To Success

Humans are hardwired to move in the path of least resistance. Pain, whether real or just "all in our head," is there for a reason: to prevent us from getting hurt.

It’s why, when we encounter fear or pain as kids, the moments can stick with us as permanent reminders of what to steer clear of. In our primal days, this pain mechanism was in place to ensure our survival; risk or difficulty could spell sudden death.

Unfortunately, in a time where our most pressing threats are spider webs, this "hit the ground running" approach to pain or difficulty has spilled over into our skillsets, limiting our capacity to push harder and ultimately, reach new heights.

To become a top earner, you have to function differently than the bottom half. So where do you start? Well, do you remember those spiderwebs?

Start Running Through Spiderwebs

Living a life free of limits requires you fighting through your own. Elite level bodybuilders and powerlifters know that to grow, they must make every lift bigger (and more grueling) than the last.

Don’t expect to make progress by being nice to yourself. The pressure to perform should be active at all times, not just when a set of eyes are on you. Push yourself beyond natural tendency, recognize your weakness and conquer it.

It may not feel good at first, but in time, you’ll ask yourself why it held you back for so long. But don’t relax or ease up yet; now is the time to double the intensity. Soon, your standards will be much higher than what is average, producing above average returns in all aspects of your life.

Stop Shooting For The Stars

After high school, most people either get a good job or apply to a good school. They take the easy route that promises security and a decent paycheck. Why?

Most people feel that great things are out of their reach, so they aim for average, which paradoxically, makes the middle ground the hardest to crack. So what's the solution? Go bigger.

Don't shoot for the good school or the job that pays six figures a year. Start a business that produces six figures a month and apply to an Ivy League (like I'm doing).

Level of competition aside, it boils down to simple math. An average goal (that likely produces an average return) will produce an average effort on your part. An unrealistic goal, on the other hand, will do just the opposite.

It will summon a focus that you never knew you had, propel you through the hurdles and set you comfortably above everyone else. So stop shooting for the stars and start aiming for the galaxies beyond them.

Want Money? Stop Chasing It

Simple psychology will tell you that whatever you value most will frequent your thoughts the most. So, why is it that the people who always talk about money never seem to have any?

Stranger yet, why do the folks who have the fattest pockets seem the least bit concerned about it?

It's simple: Nobody cares about someone who talks about dough all day long, but people sure do care about their problems and it's no coincidence that richest people are the ones actively trying to solve them.

Unfortunately, this includes doing what you love, too. People won't pay you to satisfy your needs, but they'll pay for you to help them with their own.

For you to live an unordinary life, you have to do the extraordinary. But that doesn't mean difficult, just different than what everyone does. Just remember what to do the next time you come across a spider web.

Photo Courtesy: Paramount Pictures/Wolf of Wall Street