Personal Best: The 5% Difference That Sets You Apart From The Remaining 95%.
Just being honest.
As a Personal Growth coach and a workplace mentor, many people approach me on self-actualization and standing out. Through conversations, I know some people mean what they say. A lot more are actually confused.
It is rare to find people who know where they are standing today and where their destination is. It takes self-awareness, and the people no longer journal as much. It is no wonder that self-reflection is big business today.
I have observed a recent trend of emphasizing thinking over execution. YouTube and Social Media have made it easier for us to perform mind-share. It has also expedited the need for more content because people are gobbling it up faster than they can digest.
Gurus and experts have exploded in population with total disregard to a pyramid structure because we are all engaged in a narrative-parroting culture. I can absorb the nuggets of wisdom from experts and puff out second-hand smoke of knowledge that makes me sound darn intelligent in front of others.
And presto, I am an expert!
EXCEPT.
I am not.
And I know that. Self-awareness allows me to poke the box containing my inner thoughts. If all I have to say is what I am parroting from others, people can tell that depth is lacking after a couple of interactions.
Am I right?
Many people are more confused than ever. What are they confused over? These are questions that I repeatedly get from my mentees: -
- How do I stand out?
- How can I be the best version of myself?
And sometimes, they confuse the former with the latter. The question might be framed in the context of How do I stand out, and it is actually about becoming a better version of themselves. It takes multiple conversations for people to derive clarity in their thought processes.
It intrigues me so much that I decided to write my reflections within this story.
The 5% Difference Measured in Time.
Too many of us disengage with ourselves. In fact, the opposite is true. We spend too much time engaging with others. The result of that is we lose ourselves by assuming the identity of others.
How can we arrest this for our own benefit?
We have to spend some time with ourselves. And this is the 5% difference I am referring to. Mechanically, that means devoting 5% of our day towards introspective interaction. In terms of calculus, that would be 72 minutes, or 1 hour 12 minutes of a 24-hour day.
You might think that it is not a lot, but honestly, very few are willing to make this investment.
To understand why — We have to examine what makes up the 95%.
The 95%.
I belong to the 95%. I was not born with any exclusive talent, and I was not obviously academically intelligent. I struggled with school growing up, and I continued to struggle at work as a full-time employee in my 20s.
The reason was — I was bored.
I fell asleep in history classes because it involved studying people I did not know and events I was not involved in. I snored in physical geography lessons because I was not excited with rocks, apart from kicking them at the side of the road when I was unhappy.
While Warren Buffet tap danced to work, my legs tap danced under the table.
I could not wait for school to end so I could get out for Track & Field practice. Since I graduated, that Track & Field practice has evolved to become after-work marathon training.
Having something to attend to after dying in spirit at school, and in the office, gave me something to live for. I do not need to worry about the money because it comes in every month. I do not need to worry about academic promotion because I can go beyond the magical line of 50 points.
I am happy that I have been able to offload trouble.
That is the same narrative I get from the people I speak to wherever I go.
Why do the 5% Difference Matter?
Because the 5% difference allows us to live the life that we want.
I did not know this until I started daily self-reflection about 5 years ago. Then, I was 32 years old, and I was deeply unsatisfied with myself. The trouble is, I knew I was unsatisfied. I could not tell why.
I spoke to many people, including those who are happy getting trouble off their backs. And this phenomenon prompted deeper thinking in me. This is a question that has to be addressed. How is it we can be happy and feel deeply unsatisfied concurrently?
So, I started writing.
When I first started, I scribbled everything that came to mind. It was as ludicrous as needing a promotion so I can run the Berlin Marathon. Or maybe I am working hard for more money to speed up the journey towards retirement.
I revisited my scribbles over the weekend and started having conversations with myself.
Me: What is it about the Berlin Marathon that I need the promotion for?
My Inner Me: We have to pay for the expenses required to run the Berlin Marathon.
Me: How much do I need then?
My Inner Me: $2,800 is sufficient (That was 5 years ago).
Me: That’s it? Then what do I need the promotion for? I can pay.
My Inner Me: Beats me.
Me: Okay, so money is not the issue for the Berlin Marathon. Any reason for Berlin Marathon per se?
My Inner Me: The best and the fastest will run there. I am excited to pit against the best!
Bingo!
That 72 minutes daily produced a personal treasure trove of information that I could use to re-examine myself, my assumptions behind the thought processes, and how I interact with the world.
Clarity precedes action.
The North Star shines bright when the mental fog is lifted. When the destination becomes clear, the journey remains.
Standing Out Due to The Compounding Time Effect, 72 Minutes Daily.
In the subsequent weeks after my internal epiphany, I journaled less and ran more. I knew I wanted to put my best performance in Germany when it is show-time.
That initial journaling has become a training log.
And that level of clarity changes the way I operate in the workplace.
Everything I did was geared towards a day where I’d have the energy to run after work. Working late is okay. Working too late is not. Suddenly, that boundary, once arbitrary, became crystal clear.
I could feel the compounding effects of consistent training after a couple of months. I was lighter on my feet, and I felt good from within. I truly understood the meaning of fluid intelligence because I was able to think faster and sharper.
While that resulted from becoming a better runner, it has allowed me to stand out in the boardroom when executive decisions have to be made.
72 minutes daily is all it takes.
A Summary.
I still journal and talk to myself daily. Of course, I continue to sacrifice entertainment or social gathering, or other activities for that matter, for 72 minutes of daily self-improvement.
Recently, I chose to funnel a fraction of my daily self-improvement into writing because I needed to sharpen my thought processes. I also wanted to write more to write better. It has been something I wanted to do, and skills take a long while to improve.
This is a result of achieving clarity.
I believe that we know what we seek when we engage with ourselves for a long time.
We have to treat our minds like a reserved person who refrains from saying too much for fear of potential embarrassment. Start getting acquainted and initiating conversations.
They will become your trusted aides. And, they will start sharing what they are really thinking.
And when that happens, we have moved from the 95% to the 5%.
Aldric
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
