If You Can Accomplish These 10 Tiny Things, You'll Have A Major Life Advantage
Have the courage to aim higher than the rest.
Lance Reis | Unsplash “It’s lonely at the top. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they can’t do great things, so they aim for mediocre.” — Tim Ferriss
Ever feel like you’re repeatedly banging into a wall? It can be hard to sense that we are getting anywhere, let alone making a dent in the Universe. It can feel like we’re in a maniacal rat race; everyone is pining for attention; everyone is competing; and every angle, topic, and niche is used up. Well, not at the top. There are geographies where few others dare to go. Aiming big will get you to this space. This means playing with the big dogs. Asking for the big deals. Thinking big. Seeing yourself as a big deal. Many are reluctant to go to these places. I have been hesitant. It’s hard to see yourself as anything but small.
Thinking bigger helped simplify my life, allowed me to work with more fulfilling people, reduced stress, earned me much more money, and gave me space for other things. Aiming high will take courage, and some rejection, but no more than before, and you might surprise yourself with what happens when you leapfrog the middle and go high. A lot of this is a game of perspective and perception. Aiming high will affect how you see yourself. It will also influence how others see you. Hold your composure and price yourself high. Watch how the perception others have of you changes. Watch how your own demeanor and passion morph.
“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.” — Uta Hagen
If you can accomplish these 10 tiny things, you'll have a major advantage in life:
1. Interview bigger names for articles, podcasts, and videos
Yes, there is value in everyone, but look at what Tim Ferriss (who started as a humble, unknown author) did with his podcast, interviewing people like Schwarzenneger, Tony Robbins, and Jamie Foxx. There are lots of obvious benefits of going straight to bigger guests. Many of those guests will have large followings that will learn of the podcast and help promote it massively, not to mention drawing in a bigger crowd to the show. Tim went high from the start and now has one of the most popular podcasts of all time.
2. Take on fewer clients
Aim for five, motivated, high-paying clients rather than fifteen low-paying ones, or selling a low-ticket course to thousands. You get the thrill of being able to work with people more closely, for a more satisfying, and sustainable fee.
3. Approach the best-looking girl or guy in the room
Or approach the most successful person in the place. Because few others have tried, owing to fear or lack of belief, they are often the ones approached the least. A similar dynamic is also at play online, when inviting guests for interviews, for example. Few people have the nerve to go high in who they approach. You might be surprised at who says yes.
4. Ask for bigger loans
Rather than asking the bank for a small loan with small savings, which positions you as a small fish, save more over longer (or make more, more quickly using the client tactics discussed above), join forces with other investors, and ask the bank for a much bigger loan. Larger real estate projects, for example, are often more secure, and you will more easily be granted a large loan from a bank for these projects.
5. When it comes to dreams and goals, go big
Bigger ideas will excite you more. There are fewer barriers because there are fewer people in the race. The number of problems you will encounter in moving towards those huge goals will be the same as in medium-sized goals. Guaranteed. The problems might be more significant, but there will be around the same number of them. Maybe you want to get yourself bigger problems? You might as well go huge. You will figure out how to make bigger goals work when you commit to them.
“When you commit, creativity will follow.” — Grant Cardone
6. Follow your real passions
Go straight to your true passions, rather than doing what you think you should be doing. Think about what brings you to life. What could you talk about or read about for hours? That’s your thing or a good hint at what your thing is. Go there. This is going big. Most settle for average because the average is people-pleasing.
7. Give more
Share more value; give more away for free; give more significant gifts. Reciprocation will be bigger, success will flow back to you, and you will feel it in your heart.
Photo: Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
8. Go for the highest quality you can
Perfection is never possible but always go as high quality as you can. Aim to astonish. This is something I’m failing at, as I do my 30 articles in 30 days challenge (author’s note — this was done back in 2019). I am not spending as much time on each article as I’d like. One day is not sustainable. But I am going big on the idea of writing thirty articles in thirty days. Much better to spend more time on a superb article that goes out less frequently, than writing many articles that are merely ‘good’. Case in point. Lesson learned!
9. Take bigger breaks
Instead of short holidays that could end up being more stressful, take a longer, more involved, less interrupted break somewhere really cool — go for three months instead of three days. Go big on your breaks, make a full reset, and come back to deliver your best work.
10. Take deeper action on one thing or fewer things
Most of us do the opposite. We take on many things and scatter unfocused energy in many places. Then we’re burned out and overwhelmed, and we think it’s because we’re working too hard. We’re usually not. We’re working in too many areas. I’m frequently guilty of this. I have to continually assess how many things I need to focus on. I streamline accordingly so that I can go bigger and much more effectively in less. When you focus on what one thing matters the most right now, taking a lot of action will come more effortlessly. What is that thing? Choose one or two things, and go all in. Work on those things intensely, with total presence, morning to night (then take one of those long breaks). Sometimes it takes self-awareness to know we are breaking our backs by thinking too small, swimming with the little fishes.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.