10 Things That Stop AVERAGE People From Being GREAT!

Today was an amazing day for me! 3 great things happened to me today. This morning, I completed my final presentation for my Entertainment Business Masters Degree. Also, I got great feedback from my students about the last blog I wrote about how Hip Hop and Technology is affecting our culture. Third, My University @FullSail started following me on @twitter. These things collectively made me so happy that I decided to do more wiring and allow my blog to become my muse to get all of my ideas about music, education and technology.  And best news of all, I have been honored as the Advanced Achiever in my graduating class from Full Sail! This means I have to give a speech at graduation!!!

Currently one of the books I'm reading is Good to Great by Jim Collins. I really like this book. It was one of the amazing prizes that I won for being MA teacher of the month. The books basic premise is that good is the opposite of great. There are so many people in the World that settle for the good in life. But how many people are willing to take their good and turn it into great! How many good doctors can you name? Now how many GREAT doctors can you name? See the difference? So many times when I would get into conversations about money and success, I would hear these words: "I just want to be comfortable." I cringe every time I hear those words. Why are we so content with being comfortable? What's even worse is that we live in a society that praises the efforts of great people, yet we lack the discipline to create the same greatness within ourselves. I decided that I will not allow anyone or anything to make me good or average.

Eric Thomas, the author of The Secret to Success, and Greatness is Upon You; says he hates average people. "They always pull you into their reality." And I agree. Often average people are so content with their surroundings and are never willing to work to make change in their lives. They don't have a sense of urgency. I noticed they waste most of their time sleeping, and complaining about how things never go their way. Great people are just the opposite.  They create their reality to be the best situation. They don't wait for someone to give them permission to be great, they just are. So I came up with a list of 10 things average people do that stops them from becoming great!

1. Average People Do Not Take Ownership

Average people love to place the blame on others for their problems. They can never see their own flaws for looking at someone else’s. Even if they know they are wrong in a situation; average people will try to make themselves seem right or create a diversion just to take the blame off of themselves.

2. Average People Don't Respect Time.

Time is money. And more importantly, time is TIME. If you waste money, you can make it back. If you waste my time, I CANT GET IT BACK. That's the difference.  Average people don't move with a sense of urgency. This is crucial when you have an employee, or group member like this. This energy can become infectious.

3. Average People Wish Instead of Plan.

I had to learn about the power of a plan the hard way. My whole life I would just go with the flow. And this always felt like the best things to do, as I got older I realized how much I wasn't getting accomplished personally and professionally because I wouldn't take the time to plan.  If you have a dream with no plan to get there, all you have is a wish.

4. Average People Reward Themselves Too Quickly. 

You ever meet people that say, "you have to just treat yourself sometimes"? I think that is a bunch of crap. Treating yourself is fine, AFTER YOU HAVE WORKED HARD TO ACHIEVE A GOAL. But just because it's Friday, or its your birthday is no excuse to abandon your plan for success. I believe in rewards, bit not every weekend.

5. Average People Never See The Big Picture.

Average people are productive. They spend a lot of time "multi - tasking" to look busy. They are always in a rush to do something needs to be done right this minute.  They don't stop and take a look back to see if all of their busy work is paying off for them in terms of their long term goals.

6. Average People Do The Bare Minimum.

I see this all of the time with my classes. If I say write 2 paragraphs, that's what I will get from most of my students. A great person will strive to do the best work possible; even if no one is checking.

7. Average People Are Jealous of Others Success.

I love the quote, " You're jealous of my success like we don't have the same 24 hours." Simply put, average people spend time hating on others success instead of learning what did they do to become successful. 

8. Average People Are Only Concerned About Themselves.

One thing that I have learned is that everyone feels that they are the most important person in the World. No one wants to follow you, or listen to what you have to say if you are not trying to help them. Giving is the best gift you could ever receive. I'm always trying to see how I could give more of myself to help others. This in turn ends up being more of a blessing to the giver than the recipient. 

9. Average People Are Reactive Not Proactive.

Average people react to situations instead of creating situations. Being proactive means to take initiative in a situation at work or at home instead of waiting for someone to ask you, or give you permission to act.

10. Average People Quit After They Fail.

Every GREAT person failed and kept trying. Failure doesn't mean defeat. Failure is meant to be learned from. The most successful people in the World failed many times over before they saw any success. You must learn to dust yourself off and try again. This one quality alone will separate you from most people if you apply it. 

Now, ask yourself; " Do I want to be average or GREAT? Tell me your thoughts about this topic? Are you stuck in the Average zone? Do you have what it takes to be great? Leave your comments below and follow @OTGriffin