I want to talk about why the average man is doomed. The other day, I was on social media and realized I felt inadequate. When I open up social media apps, I feel bad, like I’m not living up to my potential, when I see all these people killing it. But what is my potential? What is your potential?
Overcoming mediocrity and accepting limitations
In your lifetime, how much of your potential will you be able to extract? Certain things about you are better or more amazing than most people. Conversely, certain things about you are not as amazing as others. But most of your skills and potential falls in the middle, like a standard bell curve. No matter how hard we work, we will never be the 1% because of our personal limitations. But we can still excel and overcome our mediocrity.
The problem arises when we think that we should be extraordinary at everything. The problem comes in when we try, don’t achieve, and then beat ourselves up. We feel like a failure when the truth is we have to accept our limitations. You should try because you should strive to be better. This point is where the real growth happens. You may not reach that 1%, but being better than you are today should be the goal. Looking back at your life and accomplishments, you will be much better off than if you had just accepted being average.
Setting yourself apart
I grew up without money and was super insecure because of it. So for me, I wanted to be better at certain things. These specific things I could control to set myself apart. For me, that was style. From a young age, I took ownership of my style and knew I would be above many if I looked better than others. First impressions! I shopped at thrift stores and emphasized ensuring I looked the part. The other thing that I could control was my body. I could control my physique, although I knew I would never be 250 lb of twisted steel and sex appeal. I could be the best that I could be.
I knew I wouldn’t be as good as some people, but that doesn’t mean I was a failure or didn’t succeed. So, focus on aspects that you can change and improve, including relationships, finances, your body, style, grooming, and work ethic. Work ethic is one of those things you can control, and I’m a firm believer that you can outwork somebody with talent who is lazy. Sure, some people are gifted, but the average man can work their ass off and be disciplined by putting the time and effort in to improve themselves.
Unattainable benchmarks and measures of success
We were not built to be entrepreneurs, billionaires, or the 1%. Those goals should only be for some because they are close to impossible. When you make extraordinary things that you see on social media your goal, you’ll be hard-pressed ever to reach it. These unattainable benchmarks and success measures will make you feel bad about yourself. The amount of pressure is overwhelming and stifling. So, once you shed this thinking and realize your potential isn’t about other people, and your success doesn’t matter what they do, you can build yourself better.
This shedding this thinking is freeing and liberating and is the point where you’ll exceed and excel with your expectations and potential. Embracing the mediocrity of your existence is powerful. Still, that realization doesn’t mean you should settle or stop striving to improve. However, striving to be perfect in every aspect of your life is an exercise in futility and a recipe for emotional disaster.
How to maximize your potential
Choose the areas that you will apply yourself to maximize your potential. Whether it’s your looks, physique, finances, relationships, social setting, or whatever, devote time to yourself to be incredible for yourself. It’s about comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, the year before, or two years earlier. Develop a healthier perspective and measure of what your success looks like. Choose to measure your potential from where you started and where you got to. Where were you yesterday? Measure from that place. Have you grown? Have you achieved? Have you grown better than you work? Have you out-kicked your coverage?
Don’t beat yourself up for not being the best, the most perfect, and the most amazing dude. If you do, your vision of what success looks like is doomed. The truth is most men are all starting from average.
