How to be in the top 1% in your game?

Photo by Agnieszka Boeske on Unsplash

Whether you’re working a 9-to-5 job or running your own gig while aspiring to be the best at what you do, you might find yourself wondering why you cannot achieve what you desire, despite putting in the time and effort.

I have been at this spot numerous times in my life. And as @SahilBloom says,

Sahil Bloom Twitter

After working for 10 years in a 9 to 5 job, here’s what I’ve learned:

Stay ahead in your work, avoiding procrastination even when there’s ample time to complete tasks. Prioritize completing your work first, and then you can relax or take on additional tasks as you see fit. While this may seem like a general tip, it makes a huge difference in the long run. You can also come up with new ideas to improve the existing work.

1. This makes you appear as someone who consistently maintains a high level of standard. For example, find 10 different ways to do documentation using 10 different templates. It opens up your mind and evokes curiosity even in other areas of your life.
2. You instil confidence in people when they reach out to you, based on your proactive approach, you are always one step ahead of them. This could mean if they are stuck, you already have gone through the same stuff numerous times for you to pass a sane advice to them because you know there is no other way.

Always be willing to help people. Be the person who is secure enough to assist anyone in need. Mentor or coach others in your free time, or create content about your experiences. Find ways to give back to the community and provide support.

1. You will be perceived as a thought leader — someone who possesses knowledge and can easily share it when needed. Consequently, your communication skills will improve. Talking about the same content on different platforms in different formats, such as what you can write on Medium, can be used to create a video as well. Reiterating the same content makes you the master of it.
2. By helping others, you will encounter numerous variations of the same problem, which, in turn, sharpens your skills. Helping different individuals with their unique problems exposes you to a variety of situations. Each person may have a distinct perspective, background, or set of circumstances that contribute to the complexity of the issues they face.

If you consistently follow these principles, you will always find yourself where you want to be.