Don’t Be Average. 3 Ways to Be Better

Have you ever wished that someone would just tell you how to be successful?

Have you ever wondered what that one thing could be that would take you to the next level?

If you have, you and I are in the same boat.

Like you, I'm always looking for an edge, a leg up, or something I can do to be better, look better, sound better, or get further faster.

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Whether you're an employee, entrepreneur, soccer mom or college professor, you should always be looking for ways to stand out and make a good impression. If that's not you, you wouldn't be reading a blog that talks about leadership and personal development!

While there are a million ways to get ahead in this world, I thought I'd boil it down to just three. Here are three easy steps you can take today to become better than average.

Step 1: Read 1 Book

Average people don't read. Statistically, if you're a reader, you are more likely to become wealthy (source). Statistically, if you have proficiency in reading, you're already better off than 69% of Americans (source).

A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read – Mark Twain

Personally, reading has done more good for me than almost anything else, and it has done more for changing how I think than almost anything else.

I guarantee that if you read just one non-fiction book, you'll start to see the world differently.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers – Charles William Eliot

Don't know what to read first? Here's what I recommend.

Step 2: Take 1 Action

If you take one action toward your goal you'll be one step further than you were yesterday. Do that every day and you'll be 365 steps further than average.

Action is the foundational key to all success – Pablo Picasso

While working in the corporate world, it didn't take me long to realize that most people don't do a single thing to get promoted, recognized, earn a raise, or stand out in any way.

Average people go to work with the belief that the hand that gets raised is the one that gets cut off first during the next round of layoffs.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy – Dale Carnegie

Have you ever been told to just keep your head down and focus on your work?

What a crappy way to live!

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction – John F. Kennedy

Don't know what action to take first? Read this and this, and listen to this.

Step 3: Connect with 1 person

I've said it before and I'll say it again – Nothing great has ever been achieved by a single person acting alone.

A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality – John Lennon

To accomplish your goals, you'll have to work with other people. Whether those people are your colleagues, your customers or your kids, you'll have to get other people to see your vision if you're going to make it a reality.

If the professionals have coaches, you should too. And your coach can be your first connection.

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success – Henry Ford

By talking to someone new, you're not only making a new connection, but you're also exposing yourself to new ideas, new ways of thinking and new possibilities.

When I look back over the past year, I can't believe all of the new people I've met, each of them changing my life in some way.

Think about your work environment.

Are the people around you making new connections or setting up mentoring meeting with management and the executives?

Probably not.

If you connect with one new person a month, you will have added twelve new contacts to your list. (You like those math skills don't you)

Loneliness is the first thing which God's eye named not good – John Milton

Of course, becoming better than average has it's downsides too.

As you become better than average you raise the average. But don't worry. If you keep doing each of these things, at least once a month, and you'll keep getting better and won't have anything to worry about.

Question: What is your 1 thing you can commit to stay better than average?