How to be Better Than Everyone Else

Ok. Get off your high horse. You are human just like the rest of us. Just like your ancient ancestors who were throwing rocks and sticks at each other a thousand years ago … you are looking for a leg up on the competition. Isn’t that the world we live in? At the end of the day, no one is looking out for you, besides you.

Do you know what all those famous “influencers” have over you? Those you look at with boiling bitterness buried somewhere inside you. Besides a smattering of luck here and there, there is one other trait they have that most people don’t.

There are general branches and streams of actions that come off that main branch. But without that central drive, all else is useless.

What is it that apparently 1% of the data population has that the 99 don’t? Simply put, in the words of your grandparents, hard work.

Everyone hates the words “hard work.”

And the good thing for those few blessed with that rare jewel of hard work? Every year that goes past it becomes more and more valuable. It’s a better investment than gold.

Everyone else in the culture spits at it, poopoo’s it. They hate it pretty much. People always hate what they don’t have or are unwilling to get, and if you have it, they will dislike you for having it. Human nature. Give me what’s yours, if I can’t have it, neither can you.

Don’t you think we should define hard work, or at least try to? This will probably be harder than it seems.

In my experience when someone says hard work, people associate certain things.

• Long hours, workaholic.
• No life, company first.

I, in fact, have found the opposite. Long hours are for the young and restless, not the wise. I’ve seen people give their lives to that Corporate Overload, the best of their lives, everything they have, their free time, their families, their best. This is not the way. There is no meaning in this.

So let me define hard work as I see it. The qualities that will launch you for and over your fellow peers.

• Problems solved, not a problem maker.
• Ability to learn.
• Ability to think harder than others.
• Question everything.
• Broad knowledge base.
• Ability to adapt to new things.
• Learn outside of work.
• Love what you do.
• Communication skills.
• Writing skills.

It’s rare that a lazy person possesses any of these skills at a meaningful level. Sure, I’ve put in my weekends and late nights. When I have to, for a time.

What’s a better way to spend my time? Good sleep, exercise, hobbies and relationships. Also, a large dose of curiosity keeps me writing code, reading, and writing stuff not related directly to my job.

Call it hard work if you want. I guess it is because no one else is willing or able to do such things.

It requires patience and perseverance.

I don’t consider it as much hard work as I do simply self-discipline. Something a lot of people don’t possess in this consumerism culture we live in.

Instead of being the person reading about someone else learning Rust, why not be that person? Instead of watching another Netflix movie, read a book about the internals of Spark. The 10% you retain will make you smarter than your coworkers. Instead of doom-scrolling Instagram or YouTube, go to the gym, go for a walk, or lift weights. Instead of being an idiot on Reddit, make real friends and invest your life in someone else.

We human beings are a complicated system of moving parts and emotions. It can’t be separated. Want to be better than everyone else? Do what other people won’t. Invest time in yourself physically and professionally.

Here are some practical ways to be a hard worker and actually enjoy yourself. How to be the best you.

• Don’t overwork yourself. Avoid burnout.
• Get outside every single day.
• Read 2 books a month.
• Learn a new language every year.
• Have fun.
• Find smart people online and follow them, aka consume their content.
• Emulate the good qualities they have.
• Be a team player.
• Write something for yourself on GitHub.

Nothing I listed is remotely rocket science. Everything I listed will give you a better life almost immediately.

Don’t be lazy. Don’t be like other people. Be different. Embrace the difference.  Be a hard worker.