“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” ~John Mason
You were born remarkable, original, and a complete winner — and I can prove this scientifically.
Biologically and statistically, conception is like a small miracle.
You already know how babies are made so I’ll skip that part. However, there are some numbers that are of importance here.
Since conception is a lot like a field game, we’ll speak in those terms. Of a team of 300 million players, only 100,000 make it to the battle grounds (aka, the cervix). From that lot, less than 300 make it through the windy fertile hall of fame (aka, the fallopian tubes). Of those left, only 1 player will fertilize an egg and be the MVP.
From there, cells divide, and the genetic makeup is complete. By day five, this blastocyst enters into a special arena for a nine-month development camp (aka, the uterus). After the full term of pregnancy, the baby is, as the Italians say, “given to the light” (dare alla luca).
The fact that you are here is because you were the best of 300,000,000 participants.
You were born a winner and the best of the best. That’s pretty remarkable.
With the help of caring parents, you got a great start in life.
But then society came along.
That was a good or bad thing depending on your current results.
People began to educate you, hopefully helping you think for yourself.
Then people, mostly with good intentions, gave you advice. They taught you in a certain manner. And they showed you certain life scripts that looked like road maps to the good life.
Some scripts read: Go to college, get good grades, work for a giant corporation, and climb your way to the top, and retire rich. That’s one common life script.
Other scripts read: date the best people, fall in love, get married, live in the suburbs, have 2.1 kids, and own a dog.
That’s not a bad life script either.
The question is, do these scripts work? Often they do. But generic advice yields generic results.
Generic is another word for average.
The trouble is, the average person follows these scripts and many have very little to show for it. Life isn’t as easy as following your bliss or fulfilling other people’s life scripts.
Along the way, someone should have taught you how to customize these life scripts. Or better yet, to see them for what they are: templates to deviate from so you can create a one-of-a-kind life script that’s perfect for just you.
You see, anecdotes don’t make good evidence. That is, just because someone finds a way that worked for them doesn’t mean you should follow their exact system.
Just like a template to a story, you have to completely flesh it out your way. You can’t copycat it. Remarkable stories are original and go beyond a basic story framework.
A central focus should be how well do we know our own story? Is it different? Is it original?
Sometimes I like to look at people’s storylines like a skilled investor looks at company stock trend lines.
What are the causes (actions) for the peaks and valleys in performance?
Which of the dozens of variables affect this stock?
Who’s on the management team to steer this company to greatness?
Now life is not like a stock, nor is it about money. But it is about examining your successes and failures.
Our management team are mentors, teachers, and family members.
When you look at successful people, a pattern emerges in their lifeline. There are certain milestones they reach that are common. For example, the validation of their craft is one. Maybe they win an award or become recognized for something they are an expert at. Another pattern is the result from collaborating with others. You might notice that when they surround themselves with the right people, you see a spike in their performance.
Learn from these patterns and make them part of you own.
To take a step back, a lot of the reasons behind our wins and losses are off the grid. That is, you couldn’t explain how you got a certain result unless you asked what variables changed. What was going on in your head?
But this is your job: to read between the storylines and apply what works for you. Is it authentically you? Does it fit with the story you want to live?
And one final big question to ask yourself:
I was born remarkable, original, and a complete winner: why stop now?
Next Steps
- Research the mentors and outliers in your field and find a way to connect with them. This could be by reading their books, listening to their podcast interviews, or getting face time with them.
- If this article resonated with you, please RECOMMEND it and SHARE it so others might find it. Thank you!
- Get more actionable steps like this and my FREE ebook Improve Your Life Story. Click Here.