“Nobody is superior, nobody is inferior, but nobody is equal either. People are simply unique, incomparable. You are you; I am I.” Osha
A typical “influencer” slogan would be “I want to be the next Bill Gates.” or “Warren Buffet invested in X to become billionaire, you can too.” This is the wrong goal and has significant flaws.
Your genetic makeup and environment are completely different – You have a different genetic makeup different than them and have grown up in entirely different conditions. Warren buffet grew up coming off the great depression when stocks were at all-time lows. Today, we are in a zero interest rate environment with extreme central bank intervention—utterly different market conditions. When Bill Gates created Microsoft, computers were only for universities and large corporations. It was a completely different technological environment. Focusing on how to become them will only bring you frustration. Well, what’s the point of this article if I can’t look up to successful people?
Focus on your role model’s principles – Looking at successful people’s principles is a better strategy to learn from successful people. Conditions change, principles can be timeless. Remember, you don’t have to take all their principles, the ones that work for you and are most applicable to your situation.
An example would be, Instead of wanting to become the next Warren Buffet, I look at his investing principles. A principle that speaks to me, the first rule of investing is don’t lose money, and the second is don’t forget the first. Protect your principal. This is a beneficial mindset when investing because you think, “if everything goes wrong, how can I at least keep my capital.” If I were focused on becoming the next Warren Buffet, I wouldn’t have invested in Bitcoin. (Some people may say this isn’t protecting your principal. In a money printing time, I decided I viewed this as a desirable alternate asset gaining strength through the network effect. Time will tell if I am wrong or right).
A notable attribute all successful people have is they read and learn consistently. When you are always learning new things, you will where it may be applicable. Nothing you have learned and no time is wasted. That job you hated for five years, well, you know what you don’t want. You can figure out precisely the specific areas you like or don’t. Even if it’s flipping burgers at McDonald’s, you can learn how a franchisee operates or customer service.
This will help build your skill stack. Scott Adams coined the concept of a skill stack. Instead of trying to be 1% in an area. You can combine several skills in the top 20% to make your own 1%. For example, maybe you know how to code, speak Spanish, and learn how to sell. How many people have all those skills? My guess is not many, and you have created your unique area.
As you gain skills, your judgment will improve, and you can take advantage of opportunities available in your environment.
Instead of comparing yourself to others or billionaires, you can compare yourself to who you were yesterday.
“Compare Yourself To Who You Were Yesterday, Not To Who Someone Else Is Today.” – Jordan Peterson