Have you realized how you perform at a higher caliber when surrounded by people who are better than you?
"In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is the king." In a mediocre environment, slight incremental effort can make you stand out and 'win'. But in the process you will miss developing yourself and rising to your potential to become a much stronger person, and achieving much better and bigger things that you are capable of. The high from a low-grade victory will inhibit the much more significant highs that are possible in your realm later in life.
Instead, run with those faster than you. Hang out with those smarter than you.
Not only will you learn a lot from them, but you will also elevate your competence tremendously in the process. The setting could be both motivating and inspiring for you to perform at your best.
Yes, you could be feeling anxious about not being as good as those others and experience a sense of inferiority. Your ego may also not take it well.
However, if you put on a growth mindset and shift your focus from competing to learning and excelling at whatever you do, you have a great chance of getting over those negative emotions and feelings and summoning your hidden reserves in the process.
You are unique in your own way and designed for greatness. So, get out of your comfort zone and embrace the difficult and challenging. You will not only be running much faster sooner, but you will also inspire others to come with you. |
| Mallik Reddy is the Founder and Chief Coach of Greatness for Young Minds (GYM), a free leadership and personal development program for high school students. Opinions expressed here are solely his own and do not represent the views or opinions of his employer. If you have a student topic on your mind for which you need some tips, please reach out to him at [email protected]. | |