Ahead of the Curve

The pursuit of excellence. A long journey of suffering, pain and sacrifice. Yet, so rewarding. Inherent in all of us, there’s something that awakens throughout a certain period of events. The unhappiness with the status quo. An inner flame awakens.

Pursuing something is quite the thrill, especially when it’s competitive and rewarding. You start by doing research on how the best people do their work and incorporating it into your routine. As you see your progress, you start practicing and improve bit by bit. Paradoxically, only a very small percentage of people actually commit to this process.

Biologically, we all have competitive instincts. Getting better grades than our peers or achieving a higher rank than our friends in a video game are a few examples. I would say getting out of the “beginner phase” is the easiest part. Everyone would like to think they’re special in some way. But how true is that if you’re the person who conforms to what everyone else is doing?

Fundamentally, it mostly comes down to how you think and approach it. At an early age I was taught about the concept of an “outlier”. How to become one. What makes one. Outliers are always people who stand apart from the norm, producing different results than the joe shmoe. Divergent thinking is rewarding itself, yet the price you have to pay is isolation. Loneliness will bloom if you don’t have your crowd.

Starting something new in an expansive field is overwhelming. We often suck at it, frustration sets in and we might give up and say to ourselves “it’s not for me.” You might be right, but I would say its a coping mechanism 90% of the time. The secret is to just show up. You will eventually get to the middle of the bell curve, where the majority of people who have been working for years end up at. But most will never really be “ahead of the curve”.

Do you have that itch? The itch to be great and better than most? That deep inner desire, that somehow has a deep connection to your soul? The thing that wakes you up in the morning that drives you to get out of bed? Not just because society tells you that you should, but because you really want to? Well then, you’re in luck.

You will surely be wrong at times, but you just have to be right once.The average person is constantly stuck on how other people do their work, what everyone else is doing, and following it. But from my personal experience, I’ve learned that simply following others never leads to breakthroughs or especially nothing exceptional. How do you expect to surpass the majority if you’re not willing to take more risks than they do? The term for taking bold risks, being authentic, and having a following nowadays is called a “trendsetter”

Another huge contributing factor that leads to inaction is self-sabotage. Funny enough, starting is often the hardest part. Once you start and be consistent, momentum keeps you going.

Strategy is often a euphemism for procrastination.

— Peter Thiel

A common notion that I frequently ponder is “How do you see the wave when you’re the water?”. It’s quite hard to see the bigger picture when you’re in the middle of it. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Raise the stakes of the game you’re playing. Hanging around people who lack intellectual depth and agency gets draining. Don’t consider cretins your opponents. Raise yourself to the highest standard possible. Be friends and surround yourself with the best. Learn, engage, question, and grow.

Have strong foundations and enjoy the pursuit. Remember why you started in the first place. Don’t self sabotage.