Stop settling for average! ©Larry Winget
If you are an average person, chances are that you go to work, spend at least 2 full hours surfing the internet on personal stuff, fudge a little on your break and lunch hour, then come home, eat way too much unhealthy food, then watch four or five hours of television, go to bed, don’t sleep well or if you do sleep well, it’s because you took drugs to do it and then get up the next day only to do it all over again. If you are an average person, you spend more money than you earn, exercise less than you should and complain that there just isn’t enough time to get it all done. You gripe about your aches and pains even though you don’t exercise. You gripe about politicians and government even though you don’t vote. You blame the media for the fact that our society is going to hell in a handbasket. And you wonder why your life is the way it is.
To repeat myself for the millionth time: Your life is the way it is because that’s exactly how you want it to be!
“How can you say that? I want to be happy, healthy and rich.”
That is a lie. If you really wanted those things, you would have those things. You say you want those things, but the truth is that you just don’t want those things enough to do what it takes to make them happen. You aren’t willing to sacrifice your current lifestyle in order to get what you want so you end up living with what you’ve got.
Answer this one for me: Do you have a written plan for every area of your life? If you are an average person, you don’t. Most people spend more time planning their day off than they do planning the rest of their lives. No plan for their time. No plan for their money. No plan for their career. No plan for their relationships. No plan for their happiness. No plans at all.
What kind of house do you want to live in? What kind of car do you want to drive? How would you like to dress? What kind of restaurants do you want to eat at? Where would you like to vacation? What do you want your blood pressure to be and how much you do you want to weigh? How much money do you want to have in the bank for savings and retirement and other investments? My bet is you haven’t given any of those things much thought and don’t have a written down plan for even one of them. It is likely that these things are afterthoughts to you – things that happen after you have spent all of your money and watched your television shows. Maybe things you consider right before you doze off to sleep. These things certainly are not a priority, because iff they were a priority, you would have done everything in your power to make them a reality.
Remember: Your time, energy and money always go to what’s important to you. All you ever have to do is take a look at how people spend their time and money and you always know what is important to them. No exceptions – ever.
Stop being average (another word for mediocre) and step out from the crowd today. Do this: Get a sheet of paper and write down exactly what you want your life to look like. Be detailed. Then focus on these things every day. Add to the list when you think of something. Delete from the list when you realize that something isn’t important to you. This is not goal setting – this is priority setting. Then take action on your priorities. Just little steps every day that move you closer to where you want to be. Spend your money and your time and your energy on your priorities knowing that if you don’t, then these things weren’t really priorities to you at all.
I know that I write about this stuff all the time but that’s because it doesn’t take any more than this to make real positive change in your life. I really am a pitbull – I grab on to something and I don’t let it go. I will talk about these basic ideas until I die. Maybe it’s because I’m sick of the average people whining when they haven’t taken the steps to be anything other than average. Maybe it’s because I’m tired of the other personal development folks leading people to believe that it’s hard when it isn’t. Maybe it’s because I have done all of these things and still do to make sure I never become average. Or maybe it’s because it works! Regardless, I hope you are doing some of these things so you don’t get stuck living an average life, with average results because you don’t have to. If you do, it’s because you choose to.
Average is as average does. Stop being average by doing what the average won’t do. As Zig Ziglar always said, “As long as you keep on doing what you’ve been doing, then you keep on getting what you’ve been getting. If you want to change what you’ve been getting, then you’ve got to change what you’ve been doing.”
Go DO something different today.
Like this? Please share it! Thanks
This is perfect. How do I move to the next step to figure out my.career path?
Sara – it is a matter of determining what you want and figuring out what you have to do to make it happen. Write it all out. Make a list of the things you need to do to. Start of the list. The process itself is not complicated.
Love this! Love this! LOVE this!
Well, Larry, I took a step forward with one goal: to learn 1,000+ words in two months. So far, I am on a lightning pace to reach it within 4 weeks. What have I been gaining from this goal? 1. That it is working. 2. That I persist. 3. That my confidence is increasing. 4. That I will win virtually every Scrabble game (right now, I am more than 85%). Guess this goal is making me less mediocre.
I stumbled upon this post through a reference from Bob Burg on Facebook and I am glad I did.
It is indeed an awesome article on “Settling For Average” mindset. Thank you!
Enjoyed this post.
Regards,
Kumar
The message is spot on! Great post!
I can’t believe I have let myself sink back into the mindset that all I’ll ever be is “average”. I’m going to a job interview today that I know will change my life for the better if I get it. I’m putting on my best clothes right now and I’m going to this interview with a new attitude. Thanks Larry for the exact words that I need…couldn’t have come in my inbox at a better time!
I think this should be printed out and posted anywhere it can be seen as a reminder of the question “is what I am doing right now the best use of my time in order to fulfill my priorities”? Thank you Larry!
I love this message Larry. The lesson for me here is that to avoid being labelled as average we need to choose what we want to do with our lives and then actually do something about it. No whining. No crying. No excuses. Just focus and committment to being exactly what I want to be.
Larry, I’m 55 and this really is like an arrow to my heart. I am average. I don’t want to be…I have felt overwhelmed by everything that my life is..I am glad you are as blunt as you are. I would rather be confronted then pampered. It makes an impact. Thank-you for not sugar coating. I will begin with writing down where I want my life to be..and stick close to your words..Thanks…
Wholly crap! I thought I was average but it turns out I’m a real slacker! Show up for a job? Is watching people drive home from work a job? I’m usually sleeping when they leave for work. Fudge on my lunch break? Heck, I sit and eat fudge as a break. Four to five hours of television? TV is my time-clock and commercials tell me when I can go to the bathroom. Eat way too much- no, not me. I get short of breath walking to the refrigerator so the pizza guy delivers right to my couch. I do sleep pretty good- from 9AM to 5PM is my rejuvenation time before I have to start the drudgery of finding the TV remote. America must be full of some seriously motivated people- I hope they keep it up so the government can keep sending me my paycheck.
You are where you are because that is EXACTLY where you want to be. I love it. It’s brutal at times…but ever so true. Sad thing is, you’ll hear a bunch of under-achieving mush heads say things like “I don’t WANT to be unemployed” or “I don’t WANT to be on welfare” or “I don’t WANT to have a boring job that I hate.” But as you always point out Larry, that is EXACTLY what they want. –short story–
People who are unemployed can collect unemployment checks for 99 weeks. Well…guess what. In less than 99 weeks, I earned my Associates Degree in college. And in less than 180 weeks, I’ll have my Bachelors. (I’ll have it in June 2013) Why? Because that’s what I WANT.
I also have a DESIRE to become a public speaker and highly sought after internet marketer. And in less than 12 months from now, that DESIRE will come to full fruition. Why? Because that’s what I WANT and that’s what I WORK towards every day.
Thanks for the inspiration Larry. You’re a straight up guy!
You are where you are because that’s exactly where you want to be. Never have I heard a more profound, yet common-sense statement. I was out of work, my career had crumbled with the economy, blah, blah, blah… I read Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life, and it changed my life, changed my mind, changed the way I see the world.
I got a life, got a job, and now, I have a job. Now, my challenge is to get past a job, and get back to my allegedly crumbled career, or start a new one based on it. Both, possibilities. But hard. The challenge for me now is to be unsatisfied with what I do, and what I make, and push myself past my alleged limitations to have a real career again. It’s hard. Thanks for sharing, man.
Keep at it Larry! Sound, solid message, and one of these days people will get it. Well, some will anyway. Keep grabbing them by the nose and kicking them in the pants. (Know who that came from?)
as always….. you are the only guy out there speaking the in-your-face truth. keep it up.
Thanks Larry .
As often happens very simple ways but hardly ever taken.
A salesman from Spain.
I would love to communicate your ideas in my country . May be one day we can talk about it .
Larry you are 100% correct… all I see around me is mediocrity it makes me sick
Great advice Larry I have linked it on my Blog in the good old UK
NOW IF ONLY THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SMARTEN UP AND STOP ENABLING AND SENDING OUT FREE MONEY TO THOSE WHO DON’T DESERVE IT!! EXCELLENT ARTICLE, AS ALWAYS!
Hey Larry, thanks for the kick in the butt. I think we all need one from time to time. I love your common sense, in-your-face advice.
Thanks Larry! You always know just what to say to “give a swift kick in the butt”, and get me back into action! Have a great week sir!
Larry, I have done much of this and most areas of life are above average. However finance and career I need work at. I am diligently working at it as I am changing careers. Any advice is appreciated. By the way Steve Rosen got me started with your information. I am very thankful for that.
Wow!! I love this!