Self-discipline.

You need to do extraordinary things to not be ordinary.

Anything really worth doing is usually hard work and doesn’t come natural. It usually requires doing things that are uncomfortable, at least for a while. To quote the great Shane Parrish, humans are biological systems. Biological systems are sets of connected body parts or organs that work together to perform certain tasks. The nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems are all examples of biological systems. Biological systems are designed to do specific tasks. They’re very good at automating what they’re designed to do, but they require assistance when doing something out of the ordinary.

Biological systems have a regular operational flow. Anything that changes their flow is an exception and requires special processing. This requires more energy. And even though they may have the capacity to process certain exceptions, they tend towards what’s standard and comfortable.

Changing the standard flow of a biological system requires work. To use our monkey brain as an example, our natural state of mind is fight-or-flight. Most events our mind first analyzes to determine whether they are a potential threat or attack because our brain is programmed to make us survive. To change this, we need constant voluntary reanalysis, which changes the flow of things. It requires looking further, and revisiting certain perceived notions, which isn’t easy, so not many people do it.

If you do what everyone else does you’ll get what everyone else gets. Einstein said that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Recognizing that all things worth doing always require some hard work sets you on a path towards true differentiation. It gives you the motivation and energy needed to change the normal flow of things and get where you want to be.