Un-average: Killing The Average Traits They Programmed Into You
126: Average people. Average problems. Average life.
Welcome reader!
WARNING: This post is not for sensitive people or those unable to think outside the black and white POV. You have been warned.
Table of contents:
Detecting the average (15 common examples)
Goal of this read?
Average people. Average problems. Average life?
3 steps to dealing with the average
Why most people fall into the average group (+ rise of the average)
TLDR
Detecting The Average
I am a hard worker delusion (zero hard workers say this… #1 trait of the average - when you have to say things out loud to convince yourself)
100% driven by emotion (reaction slaves without control)
Victim mentality (unable to take total control over their decisions)
Applying mainstream advice (taking advice from those spreading propaganda)
Living for the weekend archetype (missing the beauty and opportunity of daily life)
External motivation junkies (not sustainable long-term)
Operating in cycles (impossible to make real progress if you change your entire identity every few months)
Taking time for granted and waiting for the perfect moment (the perfect moment doesn’t exist)
Fear of judgment (not realizing no one cares if they fail)
Money doesn’t matter (a lie that serves as a defense mechanism)
No knowledge of personal finances (massive red flag)
Life used to be easier (For the average? Yes. For the outliers? Never been easier)
Unable to realize that no one is coming to save them
Signaling "luxury" (impressing those who don’t matter)
Building identity around sports, movie stars etc… (Tribalism in its peak form)
Goal of this read
Feeling like you are witnessing similar behavior or noticing patterns around you? What to do instead is listed under each point. It serves as a reality check if you find yourself falling for some of these ideas and want to change them. The same applies to the set of tools and ideas you could try to implement into your life. Ensure there is a mix between theory and the practical part.
Keep in mind: If you find yourself in any of these examples. It doesn't mean you are average. It means you possess an average trait. We all do. The good part? You can easily get rid of it in less than 3 months of focused work. Or less if you know what you are doing.
How to get the maximum out of this:
Detect the average trait
If you are struggling with it. Read step 2. (below)
If you know someone else around you is struggling. Read the three steps on how to deal with the average - further down below. Read this often. It will save you.
Become aware of them (traits, patterns, and behaviors) and of the impact they have on your life. Distance yourself as much as possible and try to audit it. Ask yourself. What kind of impact do they have on your life? Things that matter to you? Do they bring you closer to or further from your goal? It all comes down to this.
Over time, you will develop your own system for battling it and winning them over. Three months is more than enough time to reinvent yourself and get rid of the traits on the list.
Good luck. You got it.
Average People. Average Problems. Average Life?
"I am a hard worker" (or any other self-convincing mechanism): As soon as you hear someone say that out loud. Run. You know with whom you are dealing… Average. Something you can further break down into a) the competency level and b) honesty based on one's effort. Better said, the average person knows what it takes to reach the top level. Yet their actions are not aligned with their desires. For that same exact reason, they have to say things out loud to convince themselves in the first place. As soon as you notice that someone is talking about reaching the top. But their actions don’t support their goal. You know you are dealing with someone who is operating out of a delusion. This often carries over to the other areas of their lives. Bold claims and out-loud convincing of internal beliefs. If not supported by their actions, are a clear sign of average.
What to do instead:
Never say things you are not 100% convinced of, and follow through. Even less so when it comes to using those things as a system of conviction. People also lose respect if you don't deliver.
Learn to talk less. This applies to everything you do. Otherwise, you are just setting yourself up for unnecessary pressure and judgment from your surroundings. See the point above.
Understand that people who operate this way are delusional. Saying this out loud is a defense mechanism. No one who works hard has to say it out loud to others. The same applies to everything else. Have you ever heard a good person say "I am a good person"? Never. Lessons in there.
Pay attention to the first point.
Driven by emotion: All of us are. We are human. What the average person can't do is help themselves (or even be aware) of the way they are operating. Have you ever witnessed someone having a mental breakdown because their favorite football team lost? Or because the restaurant ran out of their favorite food? How ridiculous is that? It happens because they are operating 100% from the outside POV. Being slaves to their feelings and how external factors make them feel. This operating principle applies to everything in their lives. Emotional purchases, short-term decisions, and an inability to see the situation for what it really is. Being blinded by emotion is real. One could argue that the average person has never had it easier and is three clicks away from solving most daily problems. Cooking? No one has time for that. Food delivery. An unlimited amount of entertainment? Everything you ever wanted is in your pocket. Where does that lead? To people becoming spoiled. Think of a kid throwing a tantrum because their parents didn't want to buy them the toy.
What to do instead:
Start paying attention when you are being driven by an emotion and how it is taking over your actions.
Come up with a protocol that works for you. One that calms you down and helps you appreciate what you already have. This works and often sets you on the right path… In a second. If you don’t have REAL emotional problems or other health disorders that are often associated with this (think BPD)
Understand that acting on compulsion and short thinking has consequences that impact your life.
Tools to help yourself:
Breathwork (sounds dumb until you figure out how to bring yourself into the present moment with it)
The 10-10-10 rule (can be applied to this scenario)
Practice putting yourself in third person (creates psychological distance)
Victim mentality (never taking ownership): It was not my fault… It happened because of… The system is designed to… Once you notice it, it just gets boring. The average person can't accept that it is their fault and will ALWAYS find mechanisms (item, system, thing, whatever you can think of) to justify their bad choice and poor decision. Better said. Blame someone else for their mistake. The problem with a victim mentality is that it completely blocks your ability to make small wins, which leads to bigger things. When you start owning things. No matter how bad they are or what choices you made around them. It will all start to work in your favor.
What to do instead:
The key with this is to become 100% aware. Most people shift into passive mode and blame it on someone else.
Realize that you have 100% control over your life and choices. No one else. Not the system. Not your parents. Not your teacher. Since you are here reading this, you have access to the internet. Meaning? No excuses.
Tools to use:
Jocko Willink's mental exercises → ask yourself how you contributed to the negative outcome. Over time, you will gain a clear picture that most problems are your fault… Not someone else's.
Taking mainstream advice: Something you should avoid. Yet the average person builds their beliefs around it and doesn't even bother to challenge what has been said. There is a good chance that the mainstream advice is 2 - 5 years (depending on the topic) behind what is actually happening and what you should pay attention to. The way you should approach mainstream advice is to realize it should be looked at through the lens of fun. Entertainment. There is some truth in the statements. But with a bit of effort and research. You should have a clear picture of what they are doing wrong and why. Interest groups, corporate lobbying… The list goes on. What does the average completely miss? Exactly that. If you 100% offload your thinking to the mainstream (and "their experts"). You are done. Everyone reading this should understand that mainstream media doesn't have your best interests in mind.
What to do instead:
Avoid taking advice from mainstream media and "their experts".
Realize where that advice is coming from, and ask yourself whether you really want to live the life that people who take that advice live.
Stick to scanning FT headlines and avoid giving in to the madness the mainstream media and the news bring.
Tools to help yourself:
Find sources (such as this website or other decentralized sources) that are completely independent of the mainstream - yet are relevant and directly affect the quality of your life.
Knowing something doesn’t mean you actually understand it: It is funny that we even have to mention it. But there is a good reason it is here. If you spend time around Reddit, podcast people (those who spend 24 hours consuming information on specific topics. It would be impossible to deny that they won’t memorize certain info. That is why Reddit (mentioning it again) is a perfect example of a high-level-only archetype. Huberman said… Joe Rogan said… This study was done on… That study was done on… Memorizing things doesn’t mean that you actually understand them. This is something we as a society largely accept. But it is wrong and should be avoided. Your knowledge and expertise in the topic come down to execution. Not whatever information you possess that others don’t. What do we mean by that? Everyone can spend 2 hours studying a certain topic. But not everyone can take those same two hours and execute based on the information they already have. Average is an expert at fronting that they know something others don’t. Yet that knowledge they possess (memorization based on massive consumption) leads nowhere.
What to do instead:
Don’t become the study type of guy (Reddit NPC - podcast 24/7 in the background)
If you are REALLY interested in a specific topic and your only source of information is high-level podcasts. Go deeper and start studying it.
Remind yourself daily that 1 year of executing and failing is worth 10 years of studying. Seriously.
Collect all relevant material (books, articles, research, etc.) → put everything into the Notebook LMs → dig deeper without frying your brain or wasting hours.
Tools to use:
Learn how to chase momentum and use it for effortless execution (best described in the Mindset workbook)
No curiosity (being boring): It is hard to pinpoint why this happens. Probably because most ordinary people live on autopilot. More on that later in this post. But after 30s, you start noticing that people have zero ideas to expand beyond their knowledge (comfort zone). We are not talking about jumping out of a plane with a parachute or going through a midlife crisis by popping bottles. We are talking about having ANY interest outside of your job, learning new things, or researching topics the average person has never touched before. Zero interest. Results? The average is boring individuals who can't talk about anything other than the latest show on TV or what the mainstream media has covered in the past 48 hours. It is a clear sign that goes hand in hand with offloading everything to others and living on autopilot. On top of that, add no hobbies or social life, and there is a direct answer to how average operates as such.
What to do instead:
This is where understanding why you want to get rich ASAP matters
Choose at least 2 topics you have always been interested in and start diving deeper into them. Woodworking, architecture, art… It doesn’t matter. You have to have something going on, and 2 areas of your interests are a minimum. This prevents you from being a boring person without anything going on.
Learn to expose yourself and build a social circle.
Living for the weekend: If you work 9 to 5 and spend time around average. You know that most of them live for the weekend. How many times have you heard: can't wait for the weekend to do _____. Or a variation of the same. We would argue that it is one of the most obvious signs that you are dealing with the average person. The question you should be asking yourself. Why would anyone wait for the weekend to do something? What is stopping them? It makes sense if you are talking with someone who wants to hike to the nearby mountain, since it is a 6-hour trip. It doesn't make ANY sense if someone is waiting for the weekend to watch their favorite Netflix show or to try to start a business from their bedroom. This is exactly why most people use it as an excuse and a defense mechanism. These are the two most extreme examples we could think of. Yet most will be able to relate to them. Everything you want to do (and need to do…) should not be postponed.
What to do instead:
Realize that this is not long term sustainable. If you hate your workdays and can’t wait to have a bit of "rest". Escape. It means your lifestyle and priorities are off. This is something you should think about.
When it comes to lifestyle choices and actions that matter. Start incorporating them into your weekdays. There is no reason to wait for the weekend to build your landing page or read the book you have always wanted.
Tools to use:
Not necessarily a tool. But you can get a quick reality check on how much time you are wasting by having a one-week time audit.
Take the next 7 days.
Once you get home from your job. Write down each day what you did and how much time it took.
Ensure you include everything - from scrolling on your phone to midday naps. This will give you a complete overview of the situation.
Once you are done with it… There will be nothing to hide, and you will have no other excuse but to start getting more serious with your time.
Motivating yourself to do something: One of the most common signs. Let me watch this YouTube video to get pumped before we hit the gym. 80% of the people reading this have heard this at least once in their lives. There is nothing wrong with motivating yourself and working toward something. We all do it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing it every time before you have to do something, or offloading part of your success to external motivators. It all has to come from the inside. That is why you need to have clear answers to why you are doing something. What is the purpose of what you are doing? And what you are trying to achieve by it. Once you pass a certain point, it is impossible to motivate yourself by external factors, and it will all come down to answering the questions and operating, no matter how you feel about it. Motivation could be summarized as a quick fix for a long-term pain. Average is desperate for it.
What to do instead:
Come up with a standard process to prepare you for what you are going to do. Let’s say you want to hit the gym. Instead of watching videos. Get dressed in your workout clothes. Prepare a cup of coffee 30-45 minutes before, and do everything else as you normally would. Without motivational slop.
The idea is to make a minimal investment and get yourself involved. The chances are that if you put on your gym clothes, you will actually go to the gym instead of staying at home…. Over time it becomes part of you and with the right mindset. You will no longer need to motivate yourself.
Average operates in cycles: Life works in cycles. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. Everything works on those principles. In the same way, you will have different priorities at different times in your life. But if you know someone who sticks to the gym (again, the gym example) for 3 months, then the next 3 months they are wanna-be business owners, and for the rest of the year they are into playing video games and doing nothing else… You are dealing with the average. There is not a single thing you can achieve success in less than a few months. Dedication is everything. Hitting the weights and taking care of your health are lifelong processes. The same applies to most of the things you want to get better at. The idea that you have to hit it big in the first few months or change from something else is nonsense that will keep you at the same point for years until you finally give up. The grass is not always greener.
What to do instead:
Approach it by thinking about what you can do on your worst day. If everything goes south. But you are still doing what you have planned, even when you are not feeling it… That is a good sign. It means you will be able to stick to it for years. It is that simple.
Realize that you won’t get any results in three months of work.
Taking time for granted (and waiting for the perfect moment): You do have time. Not to sell you the black pill or doomerism. But you absolutely can’t take that time for granted. Neither should you. When you take time for granted, you show a certain kind of disrespect for the life you are living. This doesn’t mean you have to be on the grind 24/7. It is a common lifestyle trap. This brings us to our next point. The perfect moment. The perfect moment doesn’t exist. What do average people always do? Wait for the perfect moment. One that will never come. When you think about it, it works hand in hand with someone who doesn’t respect time. Average people wait for the perfect time to start a business. Looking for a date to take care of their weight, or simply operate when _____ happens - that is when I will be ready to _____. That is not how life works. Everyone reading this should understand that it is another coping mechanism.
What to do instead:
Realize that the perfect time doesn’t exist. Stop waiting for a specific date to go after a certain outcome. Think New Year or Monday. Every day is an opportunity to get better.
Don’t take the time you have for granted. Focus on the things that push you forward. Or at least bring you that deep sense of joy and fulfillment.
The trouble is… You think you have time. - Jack Kornfield
Fear of judgment: What others will say about me destroyed thousands of top performers and put them into mediocrity… The day you realize that no one cares and it is all your ego talking is the day you will change your perspective and how you approach things. Parents, teachers, friends… They all do care. But in a way that is different from what most think. The reason the average person is afraid of judgment or what others will say about them is that they are unable to detach their ego from what they are doing. Everyone knows someone who goes once to _____ activity and decides to base their whole personality around it. Remember the tweet from above? It is not the same thing as fear of judgment, but the root cause is the same. The average person is unaware others could not care less about them.
What to do instead:
Everyone is the protagonist of their own story. No one cares about you.
Stop telling everyone what you are going to do or what you are working on right now. This helps a lot and will point you in the right direction.
Use Tim Ferriss's method to solve the problem → write down what you are afraid will happen if you do something. Follow up with the worst-case scenario and how you would fix it. On top of that, ask yourself what would happen in 6 months if you keep waiting.
Tools to use:
Read The War Of Art (One part of the book covers the fear of judgment perfectly)
Money doesn’t matter: It does. Money matters more than one would like to admit. That you should be desperate for it, or do things you shouldn’t to get more of it. Yet it would be a straight-up lie to say. The average? They tend to downplay it considering they deep down know they can’t obtain more of it. Coming down to the defense (another coping mechanism). Built on protecting themselves. There is no reason to expand on this point further. Money matters. Money only stops mattering when you have so much of it that you could decide not to work again and still be okay. Does that mean you should make it your #1 priority? Probably not.
What to do instead:
Understand the rules of money and why you need it. Once you accept that money is not the root of all evil, that you should care about it, and that it directly affects the quality of your life.
Zero idea about personal finance: Inflation. Compounding. Taxes. Debt. Mortgage. Retirement plan. If you ask people randomly to explain these basic financial concepts. You would be surprised how many would not be able to do it. Yet all of them directly affect your quality of life. Not just your quality of life. But also, how you should approach things and what kind of strategy you should use. Knowing that $5mil now won’t be worth the same in 20 years. Or that, instead of letting your money sit in a bank account and be eaten by inflation, it should be invested in an index fund, is not something the average person knows. If you ever find yourself in that type of situation, when it comes to this topic, and someone is unable to explain to you any of these… You already know the answer.
What to do instead:
Make sure you understand inflation, cash flow, compounding, emergency funds, net worth, insurance, credit scores, risk tolerance, asset allocation, taxes, and debt.
Do what no one else will tell you. Take a few hours of your day and write down everything you own. Cash in the bank, stocks, debt, loans, and everything else. Subtract one from another. Play around with the basics of compounding and try to figure out how much $$$ you will have in your bank account in 10 years if inflation is… This will make everything click.
Tools to use:
Read Unscripted (covers basic stuff in depth)
Understand the risk management (this might change your life)
Try the networth calculator (FIRE tool)
Watch the Ackman on the basics of business and finance.
Using excuses such as life used to be easier: The big one. Especially among the younger crowd and those who are not pushing themselves as they should. Average. How many times have you heard life used to be easier because people could afford _____ (insert house, vacations, car…). Doubt there is a single person reading this who has never heard it. As much as there is truth to this. On the other side, you are living in a world where you have two tools that can help you reach millions with a bit of effort. You can change your life completely while working from your bedroom. Yes. Your grandad could buy a house by working for a year. What you can do is sit in your bedroom, access the most intelligent people in the world, and make enough money from the things your granddad could only dream of when he was working 8 hours in a factory full of poisons. This is the truth most don’t want to accept. The only time you will hear life used to be easier is when you are dealing with the average person. Why? Because the average person is unable to recognize the opportunity we have been given. Everyone reading this is on the right side of the internet and should fully understand that the situation is different. Life was easier for the average person. Life is much easier for outliers who are not in that category.
What to do instead:
Pay attention to the opportunities around you. They are everywhere.
Learn to be grateful for the access to the information you have. What used to cost $50k a year. Now you can get access for free.
Without building something and sharing it with the world to see. None of this will make sense.
Find something you like or are good at + share it with the world = get paid for it.
No one is coming to save you (politician, government, boss...): No one. Not to sound like a doomer. But if you think 80% of politicians, government, or even your boss cares about you. YOU are wrong. When you go to work, what are you driving by? Most will say their salary is the main motivator, and that is the reason they show up to work every day. What do you think is different in this case? It is all a performative act. The same way you are just a number in your boss’s spreadsheet, and in case things go south, he could replace you in less than 2 weeks. Based on one's needs and wants. Those same people, organizations, systems… Simply could not care about you. Neither you nor anyone else should expect that because you are paying taxes, things must be working in order. Forget about that. The reality is that from a young age. The system pushes you to hold this opinion, which is far from the truth. Being entitled to something and expecting it from those who don't have any repercussions if they don’t deliver… Wild game you don’t want to play in the first place. One you want to avoid.
What to do instead:
Be 100% aware of how things are working out. The only one who can save you is yourself. The day you become the main character of your story is the day your life will change.
Once something happens in your life that you are unhappy about, instead of asking who is going to fix this. Ask yourself what YOU should do about it.
Signaling “luxury” items: We are sorry to disappoint anyone reading this who thinks that having the latest MacBook is a status signal and something to be proud of. Social media is full of it. The same applies to your Armani shirt with a massive logo all over it or a second-hand Rolex Datejust from 1987. The real ones know how easy it is to obtain those items, which automatically makes them unattractive and reduces their value to those who aren’t planning to play the same games as everyone else. The Cucinelli example above is perfect. If someone gave you a $20 Zara shirt without you being able to look at the sticker behind. There is a good chance you would not be able to tell which one costs 100x more. Much less so if you are not able to recognize the patterns or different textiles (which 80% of people cannot). The point of the story? When you see someone flexing on largely easily accessible goods or trying to look as flashy as possible. There is a good chance they fit the group you don't want to be associated with. The signaling is part of human nature (to a point), and only those who know they can't have more or obtain "resources" that others around them can have this urge to show themselves off. It is one of those tribal traits (human nature) we will touch on below. Signaling middle-class stuff is what people do to recognize the other average. Want to take it further? People are taking on debt to buy the same items. Ridiculous.
What to do instead:
Buy items ONLY for yourself.
Understand that if you are flexing something that can be bought with less than the average salary in most of the world. You are doing it wrong. Quite the opposite, you are looking bad in front of those who actually matter.
Tools to use:
If you are struggling to buy items only for yourself, the question you should ask is: "Would I buy and wear this if no one else saw it?” This gives you the right perspective. It also applies to every single purchase you make.
Creating your identity around sports teams, a famous person, a series… (being a fanatic about people who never heard of you): To wrap up the list with a common one. The big trait of the average person is basing their identity on something external. A football team, a famous person, a political party… Tribalism. You can’t escape it. Everyone does it to a point. Yet there is a big difference between those who 100% offload their common sense, identity, and thinking to a group. All of those actions are driven by a certain emotional trigger. Us vs. them, feeling moral support (from your tribe). It goes deep. The point of our story? Those same sports teams, players, famous people, movie stars… They could not care less about you. The point of the story? It would be much more beneficial to use that energy for something else. Building something you have always wanted. Trying something new. Or spending it with those who matter. Stop being invested (both in energy and emotionally) in people who have never heard of you or could not care less.
What to do instead:
Adopt distance POV. There are zero reasons to make them your identity.
Understand how those people who average looks up to got to where they are in the first place. They did not get there by idolizing others. They got there because they focused on one thing for hours and hours. Do the same.
3 Steps To Dealing With The Average People - The ONLY Method
Once you are 100% sure that someone fits the average category based on their beliefs and life choices… This is where you stop taking all their communication seriously. Not in a way that mocks them or makes you seem like you know better than they do. Just in a way that you know their advice doesn’t carry weight. Don’t. Realize that it is a waste of time.
Be fully aware that there is not much you can do. This applies to your friends, family, and close associates. If they have a specific average trait and don’t fully self-internalize it… They won’t be able to change it. No matter how much effort you decide to put into it. Read the first point again.
When you find yourself in a discussion with them, you can feel them getting emotionally involved in the topic. Smile, nod, and agree. Congrats. You just saved yourself a headache and hours of unnecessary disagreement.
Why Most People Fall Into The Average Group (+ Rise Of The Average)
Only read the rest if you want to go deep.
Rise of the average (PAY ATTENTION): Bit off the topic. Yet crucial when it comes to a deeper understanding of what is happening and what things are affecting everyone, and why this topic exists in the first place. If you have been paying attention to the new world. You may have noticed how everyone offloads themselves and forgets who they are. Yet it seems that the average person has never been more efficient. These illusions are becoming more common as technology grows. We mention this because we want you to be aware of what is happening and what the future holds. The days of people with specific tastes (not algorithm driven), knowledge, and abilities that others around them don’t possess… Are slowly coming to an end. We are entering the era of algorithmic brainwashing, where anyone who does not think the same will be defined as an outlier. What would be the one way to define the opposite of those outliers?
Average.
Living on autopilot: If you had to take one thing from this post… It is this one. The reason most people are not where they want to be is that they have completely outsourced their lives to autopilot. Think about it for a moment. When all your daily actions are on autopilot, you don’t even have to think about what you are doing. Luckily for those who are aware, it is easy to see why someone is living on autopilot, because when you think about it. Since childhood, they have been actively trying to kill your curiosity and ability to do side quests. Always pushing you into a predictable routine - exactly knowing that you will have to be in kindergarten, school, high school, college, and in the end, a career. Then they sell you a story, and you end up with the golden handcuffs.
If you are one of those lucky winners who have good health and live long enough. Maybe you even win a jackpot. And your kids put you into the retirement home. Where guess what? You will have another schedule to follow. Before you comment that this is normal and the schedule is an enemy to chaos. No one can deny it. Unfortunately. The consequence of living like that is that you end up living on autopilot. Taking your energy away and your ability to think outside the box. It kills the possibility that you might end up grateful and recognize the opportunities around you. There are ways to fight it off and regain control over your life. From just noticing that you are operating outside the pattern. All the way to starting your side business to escape the race they are pushing you into.
Pay attention:
Become aware of what is happening around you. Whether you are actively participating and fully in control of it, or you are just observing and letting others dictate how you should live.
Are you doing things because you want to do them or because you have found yourself in a position where you have to do them? The answer will tell you a lot.
NOT doing things for themselves: This brings us to the next point. When was the last time you decided to do something that was outside your comfort zone? Not necessarily outside your comfort zone. But something you thought you were better than. From the most basic things, such as cleaning the car and cooking. All the way to doing basic accounting tasks for your business. It is in our nature to take the path of least resistance. Think about how many times you have ordered food just in the past month. But is it actually something you want? We are including this block of text in this post because it contains an important lesson about offloading everything. When you are regularly offloading all the daily tasks to become more efficient. You are technically offloading the future version of yourself to others. You lose the ability to see things for what they are, how they are made, or how they support other areas of your life. There is a hidden beauty in that, and 80% of the people reading this need to think it through before it makes sense to them. Offloading everything to others leads to one-dimensional thinking.
Where one-dimensional thinking (offloading everything to others) leads to:
It makes you terrible at being an outside-the-box thinker. How you do anything is how you do everything. It is a rule of life. One thing carries over to other areas of your life. The same applies to your skills, experience, knowledge.
You forgot who you are and what brings you happiness because you have offloaded everything onto the others around you.
Develops a limiting pattern that prevents you from discovering new interests and passions (removes part of the natural progression and curiosity)
The examples above are just high-level basics most people can relate to and process. It is actually much deeper. The reason this fits into the article and how it impacts people is that they numb themselves to the point of becoming inhuman. Removing the process from their lives and focusing only on the results. Before you comment that this doesn’t make sense and that your favorite guru told you it is better to work 24/7 while things take care of themselves. No one can deny it. There is truth in that as well, especially when you are building something bigger. What that same guru won’t tell you is that there is a good chance that once he unplugs himself and detaches his identity from the work he is performing, or lies down in bed before sleeping. He is miserable. Much more so when it comes to offloading everything.
You end up not knowing:
What do YOU like?
What gets YOU going?
What inspires YOU?
Who YOU REALLY are.
If you don’t have clear answers to the above… You have a problem. Something to think about.
TLDR
It is easy to fall for the average trap and start designing your life according to it. Average people are everywhere around you. They are your colleagues. Your friend. and the people you pass on the street. Does that mean they are bad people? No. Does that mean you should be like them? Absolutely not.
Ask yourself whether you want to live the life they are living. The answer will tell you everything.
Most average traits are ownership issues. Once you take control of your actions, emotions, and thoughts. It will all click.
Three months is all you need to get rid of a pattern or behavior you want to change.
To solve most of the traits mentioned, the first thing you should try is distance yourself and observe what is happening and how it impacts your life. This is the key to permanently deleting them from your life. If you can distance yourself without getting emotional… You have already solved 80% of your problem.
DON’T TRY TO CHANGE OTHERS AROUND YOU. Smile, nod, and agree. Otherwise, you will burn yourself out and get frustrated with why they are not making progress.
Never fall for the psyop that life used to be easier. Today can make a living out of your bedroom.
Life has never been easier. It is predictable, and the system as such pushes you into the average.
Disclaimer: None of this is to be legal or financial advice of any kind.
“The War of Art” is such a great suggestion. That book should be a manuscript for any business/creative person. Great write up as always!
This is such a thoughtful and excellent post. Mediocrity is the killer. Living in an endless loop of mind-numbing work, the constant dopamine-hit inducing consumption to just get through the day, living for the weekend or a vacation for escape and do more of the same things to get a short-lived high.. unfortunately this is becoming the reality of our generation. Thank you for calling it out. Awareness is the first step.