Note: * I recommend you read my past article, Why You Should Be An Elitist, in order to obtain the fullest context. I will reference many ideas from that article in this one.
Hello and welcome back! It seems that my Super Day is still going strong! Previously, I discussed the concept of a Super Day and how much more productive I have been. This article is testament to the power of the Super Day - it’s my 6th or 7th one in the past 24 hours! (and counting)
Lets elaborate on a point I discussed in my article regarding the elite (top 5% of the population), which was that in order to be among the elite, you must do things that 95% of the population will not do. Now, I know what you’re thinking and yes, there seems to be a possible flaw in this logic. If you’ve been actively thinking about what I’ve said, then your brain has probably raised a red flag and asked, “Wait a minute! How can listening to 95% of the population be wrong? Isn’t that how we can obtain the most accurate information?” Well, yes - this concept is called The Wisdom of the Crowd, which was written about in The Wisdom of Crowds
I have no pretension that my articles are for everybody. In fact, following my advice is likely to be disastrous for most people. Then why the hell am I still writing, you might ask? Because if you’re here, then you know and I know that you think differently than most other people. I’m not writing for the 95%, I’m writing for you: the 5% to whom my insights and philosophies do apply. I know who my target audience is, and I tell you now that your path to success does not lie in the same paths that most of the population takes. I’m not saying you’re better - just different, and if you are to find success, you’re likely going to find it in a way that most of your friends and peers can’t imagine and are willing to try.
Listen to your intuition and what makes sense to you. If what I write doesn’t ring true, then close the browser window now and find some other author’s writing that does. I know for myself that my success was never going to come by following the “wisdom” of the crowd. I worked the 9-5. I followed the typical path: graduated from high school, graduated from college, found a job, woke up everyday at 8am, came back everyday at 7 or 8 or even 9 or 10pm. I kept this up for several years and it would seem that my life was just fine, but I was dying inside. This was not the path I was destined to take, and I knew it. There were a number of small things that just didn’t add up, and my intuition was raising red flags left and right which I eventually could not ignore or shut out. I quit a perfectly stable, decent-paying job on a hunch that most rational people wouldn’t understand.
That’s just the thing - most people don’t understand the path of the 5%. It’s a path filled with risk, adventure, creativity, and uncertainty. Most people can’t handle it and will advise you not to be foolish. If you’ve lived and experienced enough to be secure in your convictions about how you want to live your life, then stick to those convictions. And if you don’t have the courage or strength yet to live life the way you know you want to, you might need to work on Listening to Your Intuition.
Don’t get me wrong, being one of the 5% isn’t all daisies and roses. In fact, it can be excruciatingly stressful. Your intuition and feelings are telling you that something is wrong with the advice everyone is giving you and the path that you’re on. You begin to think something is wrong with you. Why can’t I be normal? Why can’t I just do what others are doing? It’s downright scary to be different and you’re likely to feel miserable for a long time before you finally realize what your destiny is and find the courage to take your own path.
Because I’m one of those 5% that can’t seem to get my head on straight long enough to do what everyone else is doing, and because I know how miserable life can be in those early stages of being different (and often failing miserably at whatever we do), I love to see people succeed in unconventional ways. I love to see the fruits of people’s imagination, creativity, and hard work. I love to see people succeed where others say they will fail and where others say success is impossible or plain unlikely. I’m one of you, and we’re all in this together. Every time one of us finds success, another story is added to pool of success stories, encouraging the rest of us about our own possibilities. That’s a big reason why I write - if you succeed, then I feel like I can too. So if you want to give something back to the ControlShiftLife community and all those misfits in the world, then go out there and do something amazing and let the world know when you do!