Better Than Average Blog – Page 2 – Improve anything, maximize talents, and stand out from the crowd

Dreamer or Actioner?

I love dreamers. It’s good to dream. Actually, it’s great to dream. It proves that you are thinking bigger plans, trying to improve you lot in life, attempting to change something for good. It shows that you care. It shows that you’re human. It shows that you bleed.

But I love “actioners” more. What’s an “actioner”? An actioner is someone who takes their dreams, creates a plan, and follows through on that plan. They pluck their dreams out of the clouds and walk them onto the streets. They take concrete steps to see their dreams through. In other words, they do something about it.

Actioners are those who will be “successful” in life. I will leave you to define “successful.” Those who dream, but do nothing about it, will continue to live a life of mediocrity. They might have an uneasy feeling deep down inside, but really, they are satisfied with a life of “Average”. Unconsciously, they are exactly who and what they want to be.

For those who are Better than Average, those who stand out from the crowd, those who want to leave this world a little bit better then when they arrived, this uneasy feeling gnaws at them. It tears them up when they can’t work on their dream. It pains them when they are forced to do something else. It’s like their internal Chesapeake Bay Retriever, itching to go outside for a run.

The Law of Attraction can only take you so far. The mindset is right, but it misses one critical piece – action. Wishing/hoping/wanting is a good start. But the next step is critical. Take that step. Success attracts success. Become an actioner.

I leave you with a simple question: How did you work on your dream today?

(image courtesy of friend Charmaine Hammond of TheOriginalTeamToby.com)

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Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
Author, Speaker, Consultant
[email protected]
Download Better than Average: Excelling in a Mediocre World

3 Powerful Questions to Stand Out from the Crowd

To learn continuously, ask questions constantly. This is the very cornerstone of learning. Many people already ask a lot of questions; some to the point of annoyance. However, those who stand out from the crowd ask a better quality of questions.

In today’s answer-oriented society, we have a dearth of good questions. We want information now, in digestible, low-calorie, high-fiber chunks. If the answer cannot be found on the first page of Google results, then it doesn’t exist or isn’t worth asking.

But it’s ok. It’s not your fault. Society teaches us to be Average and average people ask average questions. Average people ask “what?” or “when?” The socially inclined ask “who” (as in, “Who will see me there?”).

The Better than Average, those who stand out from the crowd, ask a different type of question. Their questions begin with “how?” or “why?” They probe for a deeper understanding of the issue. They want a greater context to provide better meaning. They want answers that aren’t readily found on the Internet. And sometimes, the answers they seek are high in fat, but a good fat, like Omega-3 found in salmon.

3 Most Powerful Questions

The Better than Average use the following 3 most powerful questions to get to the root of the issue:

Why?
So what?
Who cares?

Once you can answer those questions, you will have a deeper understanding of your subject.

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Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
Author, Speaker, Consultant
[email protected]
Download Better than Average: Excelling in a Mediocre World

Accomplishments

Sometimes we just need a win. It doesn’t need to be a large win. It just needs to be a win. As human beings we need to feel a sense of accomplishment. Something, ANYTHING, needs to get done. Done today. It’s that feeling of victory as we put the pen to paper and cross off one item on the To Do list.

It could be something like walking around the block for exercise. It could be paying that bill that’s been lingering. It could be cleaning the desk to prove that all of the clutter really does sit on something solid rather than magically levitates in the air.

Or, accomplishment may come from something bigger. It could be to push “Send” on that email that could change your path in life. It could be to publish that blog post that is wasting away in your computer. It could be to display your art publicly, instead of stashing it in the closet behind the winter coat that you haven’t used for years since you moved to Southern California.

We need to feel productive in some way. It’s why we work. Even if you work your job just to get a paycheck, it’s that paycheck that allows you to do your more preferred activities, like skiing, or camping, or crocheting sweaters for orphan puppies. In the end, you feel productive – you did your preferred activity. Even if you are loaded with money and don’t need to work, you still want to feel productive in some way (or so I’m told. No personal experience here.).

Go ahead. Get your victory on. Do something that’s been lingering. A weight will be lifted off your shoulders.

Do it. Do it today. Do it now.

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Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
Author, Speaker, Consultant
[email protected]
Download Better than Average: Excelling in a Mediocre World

Be Specific in What You Want

The oldest rule in self-help literature is that “you must write down goals to achieve success.” If that idea is that old, as in as old as “the sun rises in the east and sets in the west”, why then, do we continue to read about it?

Because it works.

And, only better than average people do it.

Many people have goals. But they are not written. Unwritten goals are hopes.

Few people write down their goals. But they are vague. Unclear goals are wishes.

Rare is it to find one who writes down specific goals with an action roadmap. Those who do, have the best chance at achievement.

Be laser exact specific in what you want. Clarity breeds success.

While consulting, I find the biggest challenge of clients is their lack of clarity. They have an idea of what they hope to achieve, but it is vague. When you help someone achieve clarity, you help them reach a state of nirvana.

The world is your buffet. Be clear and take what you specifically want.

(image courtesy of Christian Gidlöf on WikiMedia)

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Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
Author, Speaker, Consultant
[email protected]
Download Better than Average: Excelling in a Mediocre World

Who to Fire

Fired, laid off, reduction in force, rightsizing whatever you call it. The basic idea is removing someone from their employment.

When the determination is made that its time “let go” of certain people, how do you decide whom to remove?

Selecting the wrong person could leave your company mired in mediocrity.

Be blind. Be blind to color, to age, to gender, to ability, to family situations, to what you pay them.

Select on performance. Look at the numbers. But not just the tangible numbers. Dig deeper. Look at the intangible numbers. What are intangible numbers?

In sales, don’t just look at the number and size of deals closed. Look at the number of doors opened. Look at the number of relationships built. Look at the number of positive qualities to his or her personal brand.

In engineering, don’t just look at the number completed projects. Look at the number of lines of code. Look at the defect rate. Look at numbers resulting from innovative ideas. Look at the quantity of leaders saying she has the ability to translate business needs to solutions.

In accounting, don’t just look at accuracy. Look at numbers of years of experience. Look at measurements of integrity. Look at the number of times the complex was made simple to understand.

It’s never easy to pink slip someone. But when you do, select on performance.

(image courtesy of Chuck Grimmett on Flickr)

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Todd Brockdorf
Better than Average Guy
Author, Speaker, Consultant
[email protected]
Download Better than Average: Excelling in a Mediocre World