Decisions we make throughout our lives will lead us down certain paths. There is no guarantee they are the right path, so we have to stop and check on a regular basis. It is important that the path we are on is the one that aligns with our morals and ethics. Personally the path I was on up until the age of 22 was pretty much a path of self destruction – certainly from an attitude perspective anyway. It was only due to some very successful people – in life and business – who I met from that age that took me on a different path – one that I am still on today and one that totally aligns with my morals and ethics.
A quote I heard very early on in my real journey of life was, “Observe the masses and do the opposite”. I love this quote because it resonates with me so much. Another quote that goes along with this to some degree is “If everyone was successful, no one would be successful”. It does take someone special to stand out from the crowd, and to go against the masses, as for everyone striving to be successful, there are 19 (95%) trying to pull you back into the bubble of mediocrity. There is safety in numbers and that is why the bubble of mediocrity is a comfortable place for so many to be. To break out of that bubble takes strength, it takes belief and it also means that you probably won’t spend as much time associating with the other 95%. It means that to continue to be successful, you must associate with successful or success minded people.
We have all heard the quote, “The blind leading the blind”, and so much that we see in life brings this quote to the forefront of our minds. One thing we all need to succeed in life and business is to have belief in the courage of our convictions. Don’t be afraid to make decisions that no one else agrees with, and don’t be afraid to stick with those decisions. Just spend time speaking to people who back up your decisions. That is why spending time associating with successful or success minded people is so important. You want to be around people who support you. Get a coach or mentor – but as you have heard me say before, please check the credentials with anyone you want to be part of your support team. You are looking for a Knight in shining armour and one who has had his metal/mettle well and truly tested. What you do not want is an imposter wrapped in tin foil.
Personally I always like to challenge myself which is probably why I very rarely – if ever – go with the masses. I always ask questions. If someone says I have made the wrong decision, I want to know why. There is no point in asking them because they normally don’t know the answer to that question because they just followed the masses. So I do a lot of due diligence – important for anyone in business. Do your homework. Never just accept what the masses are telling you. Remember what I said – Successful people always break the trend. They do not follow the masses. They stand out from the crowd. We always need people like this in life. Just imagine if EVERYONE followed the masses. What a mess the world would be in. We may argue it’s in a mess anyway, but it would be far worse if we were all sheep.
So in summary:
DO NOT be frightened to go against the flow
DO have total courage of your convictions
DO ask a lot of questions
DO associate with successful or success minded people
DO constantly challenge yourself
DO NOT EVER be a sheep.
This article was first published on LinkedIn by Richard Knight on 30/08/2021