Transcription
Most people don't choose to stay average. They stay average because they don't realize what's actually keeping them stuck in the first place. But once you see it, you can't unsee it. And in this video, I'm going to break down the four shifts that took me from a broke college student to building a multi-million dollar company and a YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers. And the earlier you implement these shifts, the faster you're going to be able to escape an average life.
However, most people's definition of average is actually completely wrong. So, there are two people and they can appear to have the same life. One feels trapped, the other one deeply fulfilled. Now, let's look at the first one. He works a decent finance job, doesn't quite enjoy it, but he tolerates it because it pays the bill. But internally, he isn't fulfilled. He feels like something is missing in his life. He's just not sure what it is.
Wakes up from work around 7:30 in the office by 9:00. He opens his laptop, does his to-do list, answers emails, attends the meetings. Soon after 5:00 p.m., arrives home, dinner with the family, sends the kids to bed, and now that's his time. He doesn't know what to do with it. This person doesn't have any hobbies, no projects that he's building himself. So he occupies this time, this void with a movie or scrolling on his phone, just distracts himself from the thought of having to wake up early and then repeat the same process again. And he tells himself, "Friday, I will make it all worth it."
Now there's another guy, same age, same city, same job, and on paper, they have an identical life, but their experiences are completely different. This guy's also up by 7:30 a.m. But instead of dreading the day, he's genuinely excited. He knows that when he comes home, he has something to look forward to. So, he's in his office by 9:00 and then the same task, the same emails, the same meetings, but he doesn't see it as a trap. And then 5:00 p.m. comes around and he knows exactly what he needs to do. dinner with his family, putting the kids to bed, and now it's time to work on the side project that he's been building for the past months, or practice one of the hobbies, maybe go to the gym. And yeah, of course, he gets tired, but he understands it's a privilege to be tired, building a life that so many people dream about. And he'd rather be tired and fulfilled than comfortable and empty. So when Sunday at 7:00 p.m. comes around, he's not dreading the week. He's excited. He knows he's building a life outside of his job that's fulfilling. Same path, different trajectory.
So what actually made the difference? It wasn't about the money that he had or the lifestyle that he was living. It was awareness. The second person understood something that most people don't. His life was completely in his control. He didn't let his job, his schedule determine how he lived. He chose himself if he was going to wake up with a smile on his face or start that side project or picking a new hobby or if he was going to have drinks with his friends that weekend. And those choices changed everything because the way you perceive your situation determines how you act inside it. If you perceive yourself to be trapped at a job, you will be. However, if you see it as temporary or something you use to fund a life outside of it, then it will be because your perceptions of a situation is the number one factor that determines whether your life is an average life or not.
Your perceptions directly impact the choices you make. If you think you're constantly stuck in this routine, then you'll never do anything outside of it. You'll never try new things or you'll never hang out with your friends spontaneously and eventually get stuck in this rut. Your life won't change. And that's how the average is created. I mean, there are people out there who are consumed by their routine and that they can't enjoy their life that they work for. They go on vacation and they're still stressed because they're constantly thinking about work, unable to enjoy the present moment.
So, how do you become the second person? Because it's not as simple as it seems. Escaping the average is not about making one drastic change in your life, but rather operating entirely on a new system. And if you understand these four frameworks early, you'll skip years of drifting. So, first you need to become aware of what's actually keeping you stuck because most people don't realize they're living the same day on repeat. So, I want you to audit your life. Grab a pen and a paper. On one side, write down everything you want that genuinely gives you energy. Then write down the things that you enjoy, what makes you happy, what brings you a sense of progress or fulfillment. Then on the other side, write down what's draining you, what you dislike, what it is that you're tolerating, and what are the things that you complain about and be honest. The more detailed you are, the better. Then look at your routine specifically when you come home from work or school. What is it that you actually do? Do these things actually bring you fulfillment or are you just doing them to pass time? And once it's on paper, it's easy to note the imbalance. And from there, it's pretty simple. Do more of the things that energize you and start cutting back on the things that drain you. It helps seeing your life clearly for the first time and with clarity. You're one step closer to escaping the average.
A lot of people don't realize that after they've audited their life, it's that they've optimized for comfort. They come home, you only do things that you're familiar with. Never trying something new. I mean, ask yourself, when was the last time you did something that you were genuinely made nervous for? When you were younger, discomfort was common. You'd be put in an environment with a bunch of other kids at different ages, forced to sit next to people that you did not know. and have conversations. So, we're constantly chatting to strangers, adapting, but as we got older, we were put in less of these environments. And let's say you worked at a job for 5 years and you only ever interacted with the people at your work. Maybe beyond that, you have a partner, small group of friends. So, what ends up happening is that you see the same people over and over again and you never adapt. You never change. And that's how average is formed, through lack of expansion.
So to fix this, you need to bring back discomfort in your life. It doesn't have to be through one giant shift, but small expansions in your life that put you in the same shoes as the kid you once were. Being forced to sit next to a stranger, make new friends, join a language class, or go to an event alone, build a project. Anything that brings you discomfort, seek it. Because discomfort creates growth and that growth is what will separate you from being average. The more that you start implementing these things, the easier it is to start building something that's truly yours. I find the one thing that truly separates fulfilled people from the average is that you're building something meaningful to yourself. And most people are in this constant state of consumption. Meaning they only ever consume other people's work. watching Netflix, buying new products, scrolling on Instagram, consuming dopamine hits, and never building or creating. And based on that audit you're creating, find something that brings you fulfillment. And find a way to create something based off of that. It can be a YouTube channel. It can be a business, art, writing, but you need to do something that pulls you forward, something that feels much bigger than yourself. Because when you have something that you're building, going to work every day doesn't feel like a chore. It feels like fuel to fund whatever it is that you're building. And the most important thing is that you need to be consistent because most people aren't. They try something, they get bored, and they forget to stick to anything long enough to feel proud of it. I remember when I started making my YouTube channel, I had five friends who had channels with me. I was the only one that continued. And that's why I said build something that brings you fulfillment because it becomes easier to stick to in the beginning. So I want you to ask yourself this, what are you building right now? If the answer is nothing, then there's a gap.
So even after doing all of these things, the most important thing remains your perspective. You need to understand that just by watching this video, you're in a position that most people dream about. The average life that you think you have is actually something people pray for and you have the privilege of being able to dream of something more. I'll tell you this. I am from a continent and a country that still feel it's a privilege when they log onto the internet. And I put that into perspective. Enjoy every moment you have. Be mindful and be present. Being present at dinner instead of thinking about emails. Enjoying the gym instead of rushing through it. Go on vacation and actually unplug. Most people don't even enjoy what they have. And that's a tragedy on its own. That's what makes them average. Average is living on autopilot, not even being able to experience their own life. Exceptional is being present fully while building what's next. And the moment you realize your life is shaped by how you interpret it, you stop being stuck. Once you adopt this mindset, your life situation is simply how you interpret it. You can be grateful and still want more. You can build a better future without resenting your present. And that is the balance power.
And I want to use this opportunity. Speed. I show speed. A young creator who's traveling around the world. He was actually in my continent. He was in my country, Namibia. The only streamer to do that. And I have never seen a kid have more motion than the president of their own country. And that is because speed is present is in the moment. And he's truly living his life right now for everyone to watch live. And hundreds of thousands of people sit there watching someone else's. And that just tells you something. If they're spending time on a screen, it means that there's something out there that they desire, that they wish they could see live.