You get ahead of 98% of people by doing what most skip: ordering your life, acting now, thinking for yourself and building skills that compound. It opens with a blunt claim: 98% of people are not living up to their potential. It says they are afraid to take chances, form opinions from superficial things, cannot manage themselves, and do not think enough about what makes them happy.
That leaves them underperforming by the way they feel, not by society’s standards. Master the things most people struggle with and you get ahead. These are the 15 ways.
Watch the full video here, or skip to the breakdown below.
The 15 ways at a glance
- Get your normal life in order first (0:41)
- Find a truth that most people dismiss (2:13)
- Be contrarian just for the sake of it (4:07)
- Listen to what others say they’re afraid to do, then do it (5:42)
- Do it now if you’re going to do it eventually (6:43)
- Pick your hero and treat them as healthy competition (8:10)
- You need to be a little selfish (9:15)
- Treat yourself like your best manager treated you (10:13)
- Master skills that compound over time (11:42)
- Put in 11,000 hours to specialise (13:17)
- Check the connection between your priorities and actions (14:27)
- Downplay the bad stuff, embellish the good stuff (15:32)
- Master the art of the question (16:52)
- Set one impossible goal and tell everyone (18:03)
- Master storytelling (18:55)
1. Get your normal life in order first
Starting a course, applying for jobs or getting married is a mess when your normal life is a mess. Few are held back by a lack of skills or opportunities. They are weighed down by chaos at home, from a cluttered space and an unhealthy routine to high-interest debt and a bad relationship.
Research is cited that romantic relationships at home affect how people perform at work, and that clutter affects wellbeing, eating and mental health. A structured, orderly life leads to better productivity and mental wellbeing.
Start with the basics: clean your environment, build an interesting but structured routine, and fix your relationships. Few have this, so committing to it puts you ahead.
2. Find a truth that most people dismiss
Some truths are so common that we assume everyone already follows them, so we do not see them as gold-mine knowledge. In fact most people hear them and still follow the crowd. Most still rely on one income from one employer, even though small extra streams tend to grow, and even though starting a business is more accessible than ever.
Take the example of AI and art. Everyone expects AI to replace art, so people learn to code. But coding is more definitive, art is broader, and AI works well within limits, not outside them. So what will be in demand in the next few years?
Find these truths by looking at what people struggle with, what is unpopular and why, and by following contrarian thinkers such as Nassim Taleb or Peter Thiel. Few understand the value of such a truth and fewer act on it. If you follow through, you are ahead whether you succeed or not.
3. Be contrarian just for the sake of it
Oscar Wilde said most people are other people: their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Form your own opinions and you will know yourself better while others stay confused.
Do it by challenging conventional thinking, not to argue but to see which divisive things you actually agree with. Typical planning picks holidays around photogenic places, choose diets by review scores and complain about stress and inflation in the same words. Saying the opposite is the quickest way to find out what makes you tick.
Instead of saying you are broke because of inflation, say you are broke because you chose to spend more on organic food this month. It does not have to be fully true. It moves your mindset away from the crowd, and that builds control of your emotions, mind and resilience.
4. Listen to what others say they’re afraid to do, then do it
In conversations with friends, colleagues and at networking events, stop talking about yourself. Listen to the ideas people never got off the ground and the things they struggle with, then ask what they fear and why.
If one person is afraid, plenty of others probably are, which leaves a gap for the person who is not scared. What intimidates other people is what will push you forward. Make the bold career move, change cities, start the business.
Be part of the 2% who face their fears, not the 98% who give fear a big hug and let it run their lives.
5. Do it now if you’re going to do it eventually
One of the biggest obstacles is not an obstacle at all but a habit and an excuse: I will do it tomorrow when I have more time. Figures cited say 20% of people are habitual procrastinators and 75% consider themselves procrastinators, and that it hurts self-confidence, learning and mood.
You will have the same amount of time tomorrow as today. Since most of the world follows this mantra, you do not need a massive leap. Start with the bare minimum, however small and imperfect.
Time compounds both action and inaction. Whether it is cleaning the house, upskilling or negotiating your salary, if you can do it now, do it.
6. Pick your hero and treat them as healthy competition
Your hero is someone you already see as ahead of most people. Compete with the person at the gym who lifts heavier, study the colleague who gets results and praise, and watch how your most charming friend does it.
For each thing you want to be better at, pick the best person you know. Keep the competition healthy by focusing on what you admire in them. Research cited says people with good role models feel more established and fulfilled in their careers and are paid enough.
Do not obsess, judge or copy. Use them to measure progress and stay motivated, and when you pass them, set your sights higher.
7. You need to be a little selfish
To be better than everyone else, you cannot feel guilty about wanting more money, better health, a better look, nicer clothes or a more charming personality. Seeing the world as competition is not evil, and there are ethical ways to win.
Everyone secretly wants more of something but fears judgment, so they will not admit it even to themselves. Admitting your most controversial goals puts you ahead.
You cannot take care of others if you do not take care of yourself. This does not mean stepping on anyone, just dropping the virtue signalling and narrowing your focus for a while. You can pay it forward once you have found your footing.
8. Treat yourself like your best manager treated you
A brilliant manager can discuss your weaknesses without making you want to hide, shows how to build on your strengths and leaves you inspired. Manage yourself that way.
Hold weekly and monthly performance reviews with yourself: what went well, where you messed up, and what lies ahead. Encourage yourself, celebrate, and look for opportunities.
Autopilot runs through relationships, career, finances, emotions and health. This process brings the autopilot to a halt.
9. Master skills that compound over time
This one is more action-oriented and takes more work. Choose one skill and spend the next year mastering it. Research the 10 most coveted hard skills for the coming years, shortlist two or three, check what people earn from them now and how their value is predicted to change. Coding, content creation, data analytics and project management come up often.
Pick one and take multiple courses. At the same time, work on a soft skill such as time management, confidence, communication or diligence.
Few people pay attention to these skills, and even fewer to the combination of hard and soft. Such skills compound and can be scaled into freelancing, consulting or working for yourself, so one action leads to multiple results.
10. Put in 11,000 hours to specialise
It takes at least 10,000 hours to become a specialist, so aim for 11,000. Few will get close.
You cannot just learn about the field. You have to make it your job before you are considered an expert, and you cannot wait until you know everything before practising. Working on it only in spare time would take far too long.
Ask whether you enjoy your current career and want to go deeper, or want to change direction. If you change, do it fully. A specialist is ahead of everyone else, and that is how you join the 2%.
11. Check the connection between your priorities and actions
Priorities change more often than you realise, and even outlined priorities are easy to drift from. It is like walking a straight path in a blindfold: you think you are going straight until you take it off.
Checking whether your actions match your priorities is that blindfold coming off. A quick check-in each day or week lets you slot in a step toward your goal.
A small share of people keep their big goals at the front of their mind, and an even smaller share check regularly and correct course. Join that group.
12. Downplay the bad stuff, embellish the good stuff
This is not about lying or being delusional. It is about calming yourself down in a way most people do not. It is positive thinking, and the script cites studies linking it to lower blood pressure, healthier lifestyle choices and better coping skills.
Venting after a stressful day is the norm, and the problems feel even bigger by the evening. When you downplay a problem, you take away some of its power and your mind believes it is manageable. When you give the good stuff more weight, your mind gets an ego boost and motivation.
You end up with more resources for a smaller issue, more mental clarity, and a better chance of keeping it from happening again.
13. Master the art of the question
Networking is one of the best and least used strategies for career opportunities, partly because people treat it like a sale. Walking up to someone you admire at a conference to pitch your brilliant idea is socially awkward unless you are Bill Gates or Elon Musk level brilliant.
The best networkers are masters at asking questions. Talking about themselves without noticing is what the crowd does, and people feel great when they get to talk about themselves.
Ask interesting questions and they feel connected to you, not because you were vulnerable but because you were interested. They have shared something with you, so now they are vulnerable. Master the question and everyone will think you are fantastic company.
14. Set one impossible goal and tell everyone
Keep smaller, achievable goals to yourself, or share them if you like. But for this one huge goal that seems impossible, tell people. It may take a lifetime, but it is a great one to have.
People’s disbelief and doubt become the fuel to keep pushing. Pair ambition with a decent amount of work and see how far you get, then keep going. The goal alone sets you apart, and each step toward it, however small, leapfrogs you forward.
15. Master storytelling
Terrible communication is the norm. They hesitate, add caveats to pitches and include details that do not matter, often because they do not know how to get a message across.
There is a method to storytelling, a formula that entices people, calms their doubts and makes them believe you know what you are doing. Master it and you can persuade, influence and inspire the people around you. You will be in the top 2%, with others looking to you for their next move.
Small edges add up
None of these 15 needs a special talent. Each is a gap that the majority leaves open: order, action, original thinking, self-review, deep skills and clear communication.
Pick the two that feel most uncomfortable and start there. Because most people will not, even a modest follow-through puts you ahead.
FAQ
How do you get ahead of most people?
The video lists 15 ways, including getting your daily life in order, acting now instead of later, forming your own opinions, mastering compounding skills, becoming a specialist and learning to tell stories.
How many hours does it take to become a specialist?
It takes at least 10,000 hours, so you should aim for 11,000. It adds that you have to make the field your job rather than a spare-time hobby.
Why does procrastination hold people back?
The video cites figures that 20% of people are habitual procrastinators and 75% consider themselves procrastinators. It says procrastination lowers self-confidence and success, and that starting with the bare minimum puts you ahead.
How can you manage yourself better?
Hold weekly and monthly performance reviews with yourself, as a great manager would. Look at what went well, where you messed up and what is coming next.
What makes someone good at networking?
Asking questions. Most people just talk about themselves, while people feel connected to someone who is interested in them.
Keep reading
- 15 Ways to Stop Procrastinating
- 10 Ways Smart People Can Get Rich
- Complete list of ways to get Rich (62 Examples)
