Why Doing the Opposite of What Others Do Works.
It is possible to become world class at anything in 6 months or less. As long as you are armed with the right framework.
The first steps in your innovation process towards designing the right framework should not be defining what normal is. Normal people get normal results.
The extremes are where the right answers are found. Understanding the things people are doing at the top end of performance and the bottom end of performance will give you the greatest insight into how to best utilise your time. This will cut down immensely the time it takes to acquire learning. By knowing the extremes the middle will take care of itself. Looking to the middle first is dangerous.
In other words, the extremes inform the mean, but not vice versa. So, even if your goal is to go from being terrible at something to being just ok at something and understanding it, in order to pick up the skill more quickly, you should still look at the highest performers routines and behaviours.
Average users are often deceptive or meaningless when it comes to ability to transfer their skills to you.
Sometimes its difficult to surround ourselves with or find top performers. However, with a simple google search or right right book read, you can almost always find tips, tricks and routines of top performers across all fields and replicate them.
If you do what everyone else does, you will, baring any outrageous genetic gifts, be like everyone else.
In your studies looking for a world class framework, if you did find any extraordinary concentrations of success, you might want to see if you can identify corresponding concentrations of unusual characteristics that could be causal factors to such success.
Sometimes however, just by simply trying to find the person you want to be like and following blindly can be misleading.
Arthur Jones, the founder of the venerable fitness equipment brand Nautilus, when asked how to gain muscle mass quickly recommended the following, “Approach the biggest bodybuilder at your gym, and politely ask him for detailed advice. Then, do precisely the opposite. If the T-Rex sized guy tells you to do 10 sets, do 1 set. If he recommends post workout protein, take pre workout protein.” Jones had his tongue somewhat in his cheek during the parable. However he used the story to help identify the dangers of blind hero worship. People often succeed despite how they train or behave, not because of it.
It is important to therefore identify the “right’ models and frameworks used by people that have already helped others replicate their own results. Career specialists often can’t externalise what they have internalised. Second nature can be very hard to teach.
Find a coach or mentor or model of excellence that has already reliably produced outstanding results for others. Make sure they have produced those results in good time. Is a very large return on a 30 year investment better than a large return on a 1 year investment?
Before jumping into the deep end when trying to solve or learn something, do some research and look for a system or person you can use to help multiply your results and the time it takes. Modelling excellence and following the routines of the best in the world will probably make you look like you are the one doing the wrong thing one doing the different thing to everybody else when you look around. But remember, normal people get normal results.
