Six daily behaviors that will make you a more exceptional person.
1. SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.
Everyone is judging you all the time. They judge you not only based on significant factors such as your degree and professional experience but also on minor details you may no longer notice. For example, what is your email address? Are you still active on aol.com? Do you still have a Yahoo.com email address? That is embarrassing.
Another tiny detail: what does your avatar look like? Is this a photo of your face edited out of a wedding reception? Is it a photo of you posing with your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters, or did you shoot a good portrait photo demonstrating your likability, competence, and trustworthiness?
2. ADOPT A GROWTH MINDSET.
A Growth mindset indicates that you feel you can develop new abilities, pursue new interests, and grow as an individual. You are only a piece of time, and you will change as time does.
A stuck mindset is quite the contrary. It means you feel you are who you are, and you’re not going to get any better or worse.
Adopting a growth mindset entails believing that you can learn new things and take on new challenges. You must adopt a development attitude to make a difference and stand out.
3. MAKE YOURSELF INDISPENSABLE.
Andrew Zimmern is a well-known chef who hosted the television show Unusual Foods, in which he traveled across the world tasting unusual foods. When he was around 30, he became the world’s oldest intern. He had three internships at once. His career advice: Make yourself indispensable wherever you are. This will provide opportunities for you. This means that you will receive greater attention. How do you make oneself indispensable? You do whatever it takes.
When he worked for the TV station, they asked for volunteers to help lay cable, and he raised his hand. They requested that someone set up lighting, and he raised his hand. They asked for aid with video editing, and he raised his hand. Soon, he became indispensable. And guess what? People who are indispensable receive additional opportunities. You must pay the price. It is that simple. Make yourself indispensable.
4. DO GOOD THINGS.
There is no better way to express this. If you want to be remarkable, don’t try to portray yourself as a thought leader or visionary. Do good crap.
This means you will create an excellent product and service, make an excellent team, and build something and make a difference. You don’t need to be Steve Jobs, Jane Goodall, or Elon Musk.
One person, team, or classroom can be changed. This individual could be you, but you must perform admirably. When you do good things, those around you will have no choice but to think you are extraordinary.
5. FULFILL YOUR SUCCESS OBLIGE.
The concept of noblesse oblige relates to the nobility’s duty to help the less wealthy. My father conveyed this concept to me while I was in high school, and I have grown to dislike the phrase. It has a condescending, upper-crust arrogance to it—”I’m such a wonderful noble person that I realize I have to help you peons,” for example—which is a very bad attitude.
Instead of completing your noblesse obligation, I recommend fulfilling your success oblige. This implies that when you achieve success, you recognize that it is due to your growth and tenacity and that you are making yourself indispensable and producing great work—but it is also due to the aid of many people. Many fortunate events occurred in your life. You are not entirely accountable for your achievement. And because you are not solely responsible, you see that you have a moral obligation to assist others. You went through a door to achieve achievement. Your responsibility is to keep the door open—even better, make it bigger so that more can enter. That’s your success, comply. I feel that you’re underpaid in the first third of your life. In the second third of your life, you are overpaid. The final stage of your life is when you establish your legacy. This is when you repay it.
For my podcast, I interviewed almost 200 outstanding people. And guess what? Everyone reached the end of their careers and concluded, “I need to help the next generation.” Becoming an exceptional person involves growth, grit, and grace.
6. MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.
Making the proper decision is the focus of our effort—data wonks, analysis, and all that beautiful quantitative stuff. It’s as if, with enough effort and facts, you can make the correct judgment. If you assume that is how the world operates, I feel you are kidding yourself.
Instead, I urge you to make your best guess at a decision, knowing full well that it may be incorrect. There are always unexpected or erroneous conditions. Who knows if lightning strikes and your decision is incorrect?
So, rather than focusing solely on choosing the right option, extraordinary individuals make their decisions right—that is, they accept whatever decision they made and then fight to make it right. This is about implementation. That is about actualization.
I attended a surfing competition in Manhattan Beach about six months ago. A surfing competition works like this: you have a certain number of minutes and six other people in the water with you. Much of surfing is about gazing out to sea and making a decision. Is that the correct wave? Is it the correct spot to sit? Is now the proper time to turn and paddle?
I was watching my daughter when, all of a sudden, she was seated in the completely wrong spot. She was unable to make the proper decision, but it was also made for her. This wave had just come down and was about to crash on her. It appeared to be imminent doom, but what did she do? She turned and paddled. Instead of stressing about making the correct decision, she actually made the right decision. She turned, paddled, and grabbed a wave.
With all of this information, you can make a difference. You’ll be unique, and you’ll destroy your mediocrity.
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