Average is a death sentence anymore, I’m serious. When you look at what average is fast becoming and see that it’s only getting worse I think it’s obvious to see that average is something that you don’t want to be. The average person is depressed, over or under weight, hormonally screwed, has no idea what’s going on in the world, is stuck in a dead end job that they’ll be working until they die and that’s if they lucky, can barely afford rent, has to live in a place that’s potentially dangerous and at any point in time might be attacked, and a whole lot more.
Who the hell wants average? Here’s the other thing what used to be “average” is taking a whole lot more to achieve. What do I mean by this? Well the most obvious place is the job market and salaries. Even if we took out inflation things are costing more than they used too and upcoming changes are just going to make this worse. In the pandemic we saw billionaires get 54% richer, just like the great depression the rich get richer and the middle gets pushed towards being poor.
It won’t be long where in Western countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and other places you’ll have to be a millionaire to live a middle class lifestyle like a wide swath of the population could do in the 80’s just by working a halfway decent job. And it’s only to get worse. Wealth is only going to get more concentrated and more is going to be given to those at the bottom by the top taking from the middle.
And things are just getting started. And this transfers to pretty much any field. Look at dating, before just be a halfway decent guy and you’d probably find a decent girl to marry too. Now finding a decent girl is all but impossible and you have to be superman to win out against the competition. Things are becoming fiercer and fiercer for those in the middle.
Which means more than ever, you can’t afford to be average. So let’s talk about how to not end up in the middle and therefore how to not end up getting quite as screwed by the world around you.
Way To Be Above Average #1 – Read…Then Read Some More
At the very absolute minimum you should be reading at least one nonfiction book a month. And by read I mean read, not listen to on audio, even e-readers have less benefit than a paperback or hardcover book that you physically hold in your hands. And by book I mean book not magazine, not articles, but a real life book. Eighty five percent of millionaires read two or more books per month. And we just talked about how important it is to be a millionaire in the upcoming world. Readers are not just leaders it turns out but also earners.
If you want material to read here’s where I’d start books on finances and wealth are always good. I have recommend books strew throughout the site that you can look at. Look at the The Only 25 Self-Improvement Books You Need To Read for a great start. Read those 25 and you’ll be well on your way to getting what you want out of life and average will be so far in your rear view mirror it won’t even be funny.
Wealth and mindset are good places to start. Then can branch out from there see what interests you and what concerns you. Read for pleasure but also for learning. Remember that a mind expanded by an idea and new knowledge can never return to its old dimensions. And as Benjamin Franklin said “If a man empties his wallet into his head, no one can take it from him. An investment in knowledge pays the highest return.” so invest in knowledge, invest in reading, and by doing so you’ll be making one of the best investments in yourself possible.
Way To Be Above Average #2 – Take Care Of Yourself Health-Wise
This means so many different things. We’ll start with diet and go from there. Diet is essentially the foundation of health as Hippcrates said “Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” what you eat and drink is the foundation of health. It affects your body composition, your hormonal health, your sleep cycle, and everything else. If you don’t get diet right everything else you do isn’t going to help much. There are plenty of diet resources out there. Start researching and see what works for you.
After diet we have sleep, if you’re not getting good sleep then you’re not taking care of yourself. I recommend avoiding stimulants and depressants like coffee and alcohol both mess with your sleep cycle, not to mention your brain. I also recommend keeping your room cool and getting black out curtains to prevent light from getting in. You want to make your room as much as a cave as possible. Maybe even getting wall tapestries that look like rock. Don’t neglect sleep.
Then we come to exercise, if you’re getting diet and sleep right as long as you’re doing some kind of exercise you’re good. If you like to hike and go on nature works then do that, like to rock climb, alright then do that, bike around, swim, play in a local sport league, head to gym and lift iron, put on the gloves and go a couple rounds, whatever. Just do whatever works for you and make sure that you can do it on a consistent basic.
And finally we have mental health. Diet plays a HUGE role in this, here’s a primer on that. Avoiding drugs that we don’t need or want. Pharmaceutical companies and doctors may get rich by pushing out pills but that doesn’t mean that a pill is the answer to everything. Don’t forget things like meditation, spending time in nature, and journaling. All can be very helpful for mental health and will always help to do.
Way To Be Above Average #3 – Set Goals & Accomplish Them
What are you working towards? If the answer is nothing then you have a problem. You should always have some goal that you’re working towards and for. A goal that’ll challenge you and keep you moving forward. Because as humans if we’re not growing we’re stagnating and that’s never a good thing. We must be refreshed and reinvigorated by seeking out new challenges and mastering them. Life is about growth, change, and becoming more. You should have big meaty long term goals set but also daily “habit” goals because your habits determine more of your life than just about anything else.
Are your daily habits what you want them to be? If not then look at ways to change that. Don’t just stop a bad habit and hope you can will it away. You have to replace it with something else. Say you stop smoking then you have to get your dopamine buzz from somewhere else, so maybe you start running or something. You can’t just stop bad habits and hope for the best that rarely works. You have to replace them with good habits and build good habits in your life so you don’t need the bad anymore.
So have big goals like “I want to be a full time novelist.” or “I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.” or “I want to be debt free in two years time.” or whatever else. Then have shorter goals that can be accomplished within the year whatever that may be. And most important of all have daily habitual goals that are going to take you to your big goals. Because at the end of the day it’s what you do each and every day that makes the difference. Habits are the key to goals, understand that and goals won’t be a problem for you again.
Beware Average
Average is a trap and it’s only going to get worse. If you live in a Western country then you really can’t afford to be average anymore, especially if you want to have a happy life and especially if you have a family. Now you could move from a Western country to more sane ones but still you don’t want to be average. Adopt these three habits and make them part of your life and your life will literally change. All you have to do is start.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
