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Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, J.K. Rowling: Strategies for Their Top 1% Status

The contrarian strategies that propel the elite to astronomical success.

Many motivational gurus overlook a crucial point: success isn’t solely about productivity and ambition. If you follow the common path, you will likely arrive at the most common of destinations — mediocrity.

True innovation and exceptional success often demand a contrarian mindset — a willingness to challenge the status quo and take on the road less travelled.

In this article, we’ll explore the three fundamental principles embraced by the top 1% that pave the way to greatness by veering away from the herd mentality. Ambitions are plentiful, but when everyone is mirroring each other’s actions, uniqueness and excellence become elusive.

Discover how to distinguish yourself as part of the top 1% and break free from the crowd, carving out your own path to extraordinary achievement.

1. The crowd is usually wrong

The first axiom to embrace is that the majority often gets it wrong, so distancing yourself from common ideas is essential.

Consider this: if the majority of people were consistently making optimal health choices, we would see a far greater number of people living to 100. Similarly, if everyone excelled at financial decisions and investing, wealth would be the norm, not the exception.

I once believed that popular choices were inherently good, but that’s a fallacy.

If most people do XYZ, then you should go against it.

Here’s why:

The quality of our work and thoughts is shaped by our inputs. Unique inputs are necessary to create something new and achieve what most only dream of. Exceptional results stem from exceptional inputs, while following the crowd only results in mediocrity.

People watch the same TV shows, read the same media, go through the same educational system, and get interested in the same subjects.

It’s a herd of sheep; they will all have the same average output.

You must refuse to watch TV shows, the latest big Hollywood movie, and the best-selling books. Refuse to eat according to the food pyramid and refuse anything that is considered “average” and “normal.”

Refuse to be part of the crowd.

Instead, embrace the edges and the fringe.

To create something outstanding — outstanding health, content, business, and relationships — you need to engage with unconventional ideas and cultivate a unique set of habits tailored to success.

Look around you. Why do you want to be the average? You want to be in the top 1%!

Be divergent!

2. We can control what we can control

The second axiom to being a contrarian is to only spend time with what you can control — Focusing on what you can control maximizes your impact by channelling energy into actionable areas rather than on the uncontrollable.

In your life, there must be a very sharp segregation between things you can and cannot control.

✅ 8 things you can control — Focus your time here:

• Your Actions: Life is a game. Play it the best way possible.
• Your Attitude: You are the director of your mind.
• Your Beliefs and Values: You are the gardener of your value system. Plant the best seeds only.
• Your Virtue: You are the sculpture of the values that guide you.
• Your Effort: You are the athlete of this Olympic game called life.
• Your Decisions: You are the captain navigating your ship across life’s ocean.
• Your Desires: You are the master of your desires. Not the other way around.
• Your Judgments: You are the Sheriff of your mind.

❌8 things you cannot control — Don’t spend time here:

• Other People’s Actions: They might be unpredictable like the wind.
• Other People’s Opinions: They are like a raindrop. They can bother you only if you allow it to bother you.
• The Past: Past events are like a history book. Learn with them, but put it back on the shelf.
• The Future: A horizon always in motion, never to be caught until it becomes the present.
• The Outcome of Your Efforts: You’re in a partnership with fate; you bring the dedication, and fate brings the results.
• Global Events: The economy, natural disasters, and other large-scale events.
• The Weather: Daily weather and natural circumstances. You can adapt to it but never control it.
• Aging and Death: You can’t beat death, but you can beat death in life.

You should spend 99% of your time in things YOU CAN CONTROL;

and 1% of the time with things you can’t control.

3. The majority of very successful people are contrarians

Look at the most successful people you know about. The people who achieved the most in any area of life are definitely not doing the same as the majority.

But being a contrarian doesn’t mean being different for difference’s sake.

It’s about having the courage to pursue a vision regardless of its popularity.

It’s about critical thinking and having the conviction to follow through on your ideas, even when they go against the crowd.

• Elon Musk challenged the auto industry with electric vehicles at Tesla when electric cars were considered impractical and persisted with SpaceX, even when experts didn’t believe him.
• Marie Curie pioneered radioactivity, co-inventing the X-ray and risking her life at a time when women were excluded from scientific research.
• Steve Jobs envisioned personal computers when they were only seen as tools for business, and he introduced the iPhone when all mobile phones had a physical keyboard.
• Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger practised long-term stock market investing even during periods of widespread market depression.
• J.K. Rowling persisted with her idea of a children’s book about a young wizard, Harry Potter, even after tons of rejection.
• Richard Branson started a record label from a church and signed controversial artists like the Rolling Stones. He also entered the airline industry with Virgin Atlantic, challenging established giants.
• Oprah Winfrey became the first Black woman billionaire in the media landscape by creating brand new talk show formats.
• Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook as a new social network when social media was not a mainstream concept.
• Jeff Bezos started an online bookstore — Amazon — when e-commerce was in its infancy and no one used to buy books from the internet.
• Tim Westergren, Pandora (jewellery brand) founder, was rejected by over 300 investors until he finally got someone to support his business.

None of these people followed the crowd.

None of them settled for the average.

None of them chased climbing the corporate ladder.

None of them followed the advice of the majority.

Contrarianism is about more than just being different — it’s about being right at times when everyone else is convinced you’re wrong.

It’s about having the foresight to see where the world is heading, not just where it’s been. It’s about holding a deep conviction in your own ideas, even when the world is telling you you’re mistaken.

The people who change the world are the ones who see a different world than the one that currently exists.

They are the ones willing to take the risks that others avoid and commit to their vision for the long haul.

You will be met with resistance, doubt, haters, and naysayers, but you MUST ignore them.

Conclusion

Contrarianism is a must. If you are reading this, I beg you to look around you.

You have this one and only life — what do you want to make of it? Will you settle into the comfort of average, or will you strive to distinguish yourself in the top 1%?

To unlock greatness within yourself, you must understand:

• Embrace Uniqueness: Most people have grand ambitions, yet they follow the same path as others, leading to mediocrity. Dare to be different to achieve greatness.
• Question the Majority: If the majority were always right, everyone would live exceptional lives, which is not the reality. Always question whatever the majority does.
• Focus on Control: Concentrate your energy on what you can influence and let go of what you cannot. This will result in a more effective and fulfilling approach to life and work.

Prepare yourself for resistance and critique, as they are the inevitable companions of a path less travelled. Yet, if you have faith in your vision and persevere, you are paving your way not just to extraordinary accomplishments but also to leaving a legacy that might one day be chronicled in the annals of history — or, at the very least, on a lengthy Wikipedia page.

— Henrique Centieiro 🕺🏻

| Be Limitless. Honor Challenges.|

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