12 Changes You Need to Make to Escape Mediocrity

According to Bob Proctor, 59 people out of a hundred settle for whatever they get, wishing they had more from the cradle to the casket. And they don’t understand that they could have had all they wanted.

People often believe that they need something new to be more successful, happy, or healthy.

They think they need new habits, tools, information, or even an entirely new environment to change their lives.

But the truth is that you don’t always need to add new things to your life. Sometimes, you just need to give up on what’s already here. And quite often, small changes can have the most significant impact on your life.

“If you want to live an exceptional and extraordinary life, you have to give up many of the things that are part of a normal one.”

— Srinivas Rao

Escaping mediocrity isn’t as hard as you might think. But most people will never escape because they’re not willing to make these changes.

The majority is way too busy dealing with unnecessary stuff. They don’t even have time for the things that truly matter.

Plus, most people choose to stay mediocre instead of doing difficult things.

But whatever your definition of success might be, the odds are high that the following changes can make a big difference in your life.

Some of those changes will be easier to make than others. But in the end, they all will be worth it because they can be the foundation for living the life of your dreams.

Broccoli Over Pizza

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”

— Jim Rohn

Everything in life starts with your health. Yet, most people treat their bodies as if they had a second one. They take more care of which fuel they put into their care than what food they consume.

Adopting a healthier lifestyle might sound challenging if you’re used to watching Netflix and if pizza or pasta is your basic food, but it’s easier than you might think.

At its core, a healthy lifestyle consists of two things: Physical activity and a nutritious diet.

Move your body and eat more veggies might sound simple, but it’s the foundation for a better life.

If you choose the gym over a night out and a salad over fries for long enough, you can make sustainable changes.

Abundance Over Limiting Beliefs

“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.”

— Ayn Rand

Without financial resources, you can’t live an extraordinary life.

And the first thing you need to change to attract more wealth is your money mindset. You need to embrace the fact that money is just a tool and that it’s abundant.

Money isn’t good or bad, it’s neutral energy and it’s up to you how you use it.

Ordinary people have limiting beliefs such as money is evil, rich people are corrupt, or money can’t buy happiness. Extraordinary people, however, know how to use money to generate more wealth and happiness.

Sure, money alone won’t create a good life, but without it, it’ll be pretty damn hard to be happy and carefree.

Self-Care Over Toxic Relationships

“When you say “yes” to others make sure you are not saying “no” to yourself.”

– Paulo Coehlo

You can’t live an extraordinary life if you’re surrounded by toxic people who try to tear you down.

If the people you’re spending the most time with don’t let you feel energized and happy, it’s time to change your social circle. You’re a byproduct of your relationships, so if they live mediocre lives, there’s a high chance that you too will settle for the average.

Changing your social circle can seem challenging, but its impact will be massive.

Instead of wasting your time being around toxic people, spend more time taking care of yourself. Take some time to be alone, read books that light up your heart, dance, go to your favorite places, or do nothing if that’s what you need.

Listening Over Talking

“When you talk, you’re only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”

— Dalai Lama

Most people like to talk, but only few enjoy listening.

Everyone wants to share their ideas, desires, and wishes, yet, it’s hard to find people who’re willing to listen properly.

Stephen Covey once said that most people don’t listen to understand but to reply. That’s why being a great listener will make you an exceptional person.

Don’t make all your conversations about yourself. Instead, ask questions and listen properly. As Brené Brown once said: Be as passionate about listening as you’re about wanting to be heard.

Let others play the ego game and choose to be the best listener in the room instead of the loudest one speaking.

Calculated Risks Over Safety

“Life is all about taking risks to get what you want.”

— Adam Lambert

Playing it safe in life is rarely safe.

COVID-19 taught us how most safe jobs aren’t that safe and how our entire lives can be turned upside down within a few weeks.

No matter how many plans you make, you can’t ever predict the future of your life. You don’t even know if you’re going to wake up tomorrow.

To live an extraordinary life, you need to be brave enough to take risks and dive into unknown adventures.

No Over Yes

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

— Warren Buffett

Each time you say yes to the wrong thing, you’re saying no to something that could be better.

To live a better life, you need to make better decisions. Saying no to irrelevant things is one of them.

Stop tiptoeing through life and pleasing anyone but yourself.

Instead, be courageous and say hell yeah to your dream life.

And keep in mind that no is a complete sentence. You’re the CEO of your life; you don’t need to give account to anyone but yourself.

Long-term Over Short-Term

“Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.”

— Bruce Lee

Most people waste their lives because they live from day to day without ever thinking about what they actually want to achieve in the long-run. They only think about paying tomorrow’s bills and what to eat for dinner without ever realizing that their short-term habits ultimately form their long-term life.

If you want to escape mediocrity and live an extraordinary life, you’ll need to play the long-term game.

Yet, focusing on the long-term doesn’t mean sacrificing short-term pleasure. It rather means being aware of why you do something in the first place.

Going for a run will be easier if you know that you’re doing it because you want to feel fit and healthy in your fifties, sixties, and seventies instead of living a limited life for decades.

Saving money will be effortless if you know that you’re doing it for a financially carefree life.

Don’t trust anyone who’s trying to sell you an overnight success. It doesn’t exist. An extraordinary life is built through hard, smart, and persistent effort.

Solutions Over Excuses

“The moment you accept total responsibility for everything in your life is the day you claim the power the change anything in your life.”

— Hal Elrod

You can only escape mediocrity if you take full responsibility for your life.

Ordinary people always look out for excuses. Extraordinary ones, however, look for solutions and innovations.

Taking responsibility means being courageous and it’s the only way to be the captain of your life instead of staying the servant of society.

You won’t be able to control all aspects of your life. But that’s not the goal anyway. Instead, focus on the things you can control and let go of the rest.

Ignore the things that are not under your control and focus on the solutions you can create.

Failure Over Instant Gratification

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

— Helen Keller

If you’re not willing to fail, you’re likely to stay mediocre for your entire life. Failure develops your character, strengthens your discipline, and makes it even more appealing to win.

Every failure is another opportunity to try again and most successful people fail many times until they finally escape mediocrity.

Instead of fearing mistakes, embrace them and learn from your failures.

Done over Perfect

“Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination.”

— Michael Hyatt

Most people live in an illusion believing they could create something perfect. As a result, they procrastinate so long that they never finish projects at all. They’re so afraid of failing that they get drown in details instead of getting their work out there and asking for feedback.

The truth is that perfectionism doesn’t exist. It’s just an excuse for not taking action. But to live an extraordinary life, you need to take action before feeling ready and you need to get things done without hesitation.

Focus Over Multitasking

“Your life is controlled by what you focus on.”

— Tony Robbins

Extraordinary people live great lives because they focus on one thing at a time. And if that one thing is complete, they do the next thing. They don’t settle for their wins, but they also don’t try to do multiple things at the same time.

Science proves that multitasking is a myth anyway. You can only be effective if you do one thing at a time.

According to Robert Kiyosaki, focus stands for:

Follow One Course Until Success.

If you’re trying to do several things at the same time, you’ll likely fail at each of them and need to start from scratch.

Having numerous interests is fine, but you need to be able to differentiate between the important one and the rest.

Self-Education Over Formal Education

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

— Jim Rohn

To live an extraordinary life, you need to be willing to learn a lot.

Most of what we learn at school is redundant. Learning data and information by heart is of no value in a world where anyone has access to the internet in seconds.

Getting a degree is cute, but that’s it. In most cases, the result of formal education is a degree and some reputation, but not much more. Most graduates think that they’ll be living a better life because of their degree, but they’re so wrong.

To escape the ordinary, you’ll need to educate yourself outside of formal institutions. You need to learn the stuff that isn’t taught at school and you need to do it forever.

Successful people never stop learning. They’re continually looking for ways to learn and improve and they’re not afraid to make investments to become a better version of themselves.

Final Thoughts

Remember that on your last day, the person you became will meet the person you could’ve become. The earlier you give up on the things that hold you back from getting what you want, the more fulfilled your life will be.

Doing the hard things will always make you stronger than settling for the average.

Every single day, you have the opportunity to choose the person you want to be and the legacy you want to leave.

Choose carefully.