For years, I have wondered why so few people accumulate atypical results. Many of us are fascinated with exceptional performance. Some of us have a few unusual accomplishments. There’s plenty to read on the subject.

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss records the daily behavior of champions in many fields. All of the champions featured do, eat, read, or say outrageous things. The people in Ferris’ book are beyond odd. They are remarkably weird! The book continues to sell well years after publication because readers seek the secret of exceptional performance.

Hyper-achievers do things differently.

My business coach declines more clients than he accepts. Money is not enough to gain his time. He will only engage with people with unique approaches, talents, or track records.

He respectfully describes his clientele, his tribe, as his “freaks.” Most of us are honored to be in that circle of interesting oddballs. I am often amazed at how others win with their innovative or unique approach. Income property brokerage is candidly a conventional, dare I say, dull craft. Most innovators fail. My coach specializes in curating and strengthening freaks.

Here’s my theory about hyper-achievers.

To obtain exceptional results, you must do exceptional things. Most of us conform a lot. Peer pressure matters to almost everyone. Exceptional people get pushback for doing things the unconventional way. To persevere on an unconventional path, you must have confidence in a personal vision or an indifference to others’ opinions. You must discount or ignore mild disapproval or frequent questions.

* Why don’t you do things the ordinary way?
* Are you nuts to seek such a goal?
* No one else does things that way; why do you think you’re special?
* So, are you saying all the rest of us are wrong?

Hyper-achievers choose different activities than most people.

Outstanding performers are disciplined about declining many of the activities most people take for granted. Professional bodybuilders are a good example. Stephen Lynch, author of Business Execution for Results and Mr. New Zealand 1993, describes how he attained that goal.

“I needed to bulk up, increasing my body weight by another 50 percent. Bulking up meant forcing myself to eat huge amounts of food whether I felt hungry or not – for three years! On a typical day, I ate two whole chickens, a large steak, plus several eggs, several slices of bread, rice, oatmeal, protein shakes, and more. Bulking up also meant ferocious workouts that literally made me faint.

When it came time to think about competing in the Mr. New Zealand contest, I had to turn everything in reverse.  I now had to follow an extreme deprivation diet to strip away all traces of body fat to reveal the new muscle I had built underneath.   In the months before the final competition, I needed a near-starvation diet, counting every calorie to get to the weight, the body fat percentage, and the “cellophane-wrapped muscle” look that would win the title.”

Concert pianists spend 20+ hours a week practicing scales or other dull activities. World-class swimmers master the mundane practice habits that lead to success. Hyper-successful people read instead of watching TV. They refrain from time uses that most people take for granted.

That is my best thought. Now it’s your turn.

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In your opinion, what does it take to become a master or to succeed in a highly competitive arena?

What might be important enough for you to become a freak?

-o0o-

Terry Moore, CCIM, is the author of Building Legacy Wealth: How to Build Wealth and Live a Life Worth Imitating. Read his “Welcome to My Blog.”

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