5 Tiny Habits That Will Make You More Outstanding Than 98% Of People
A rebel without a cause — in a good way.
Elle Hughes | Pexels Rebels go against the grain.
Doing this, whether intentionally or not, makes them stand out, inspires others, and often brings success.
Can you think of rebellious people you admire?
And can we be intentional about our rebellion?
Of course. We can adopt rebellious habits that boost our brands, our confidence, our following, and our businesses.
Here are five habits of the most successful and outstanding rebels:
1. You develop psychological immunity to criticism.
You can’t be a rebel for long if you’re overly worried about what people think about you.
Real rebels have nurtured an okayness with being disliked.
They often do things they know will invite judgment because it indicates that they are standing out and making an impact.
To become mentally strong in this area, you must learn to create space between your emotional experience and your consideration of the opinions of others.
The truth is there is no link between the two.
Your self-esteem needn’t be at risk if you’re criticized. It just feels like it.
2. You continually push your ‘comfort boundaries.’
Societal programming has created various invisible boundaries most of us don’t even realize we exist within.
But we know we’re getting close to breaching these imaginary social limits when we feel resistance, self-consciousness, or some breed of fear.
Rebels expect to feel weird when they push against their edges because a voice is speaking to them.
It says, ‘This is not acceptable.’
They operate within the realm of what is ethical.
But they use these boundaries as indicators of the direction to move.
No one who left an incredible legacy in the world didn’t feel uncomfortable as they pushed outside their bubbles.
3. You create ‘hybrids.’
Many inadvertently minimize their influence by trying to emulate what’s already been done too closely.
Rebels know that creating something brand new can be hit or miss.
They may try to be innovative, but they may also use their creative capacity to find combinations of things that can be brought together in unique ways.
This way, they can see what’s already working but bring a fresh twist to an old idea.
Steve Jobs was one such rebel. He combined computers with obsessive attention to aesthetic quality that hadn’t been seen before.
When we take two things and combine them in new ways, we start to get a sense of how outstanding people can appear so original.
4. You nurture your obsessions.
Few people who made a real dent in our culture got there by spreading themselves too thin and lacking obsessive compulsion in their work.
If someone says you’re too obsessed with whatever you’re working on, you’re on the right track.
The rebellious thing to do in a world of distracted, procrastinating people who’d rather travel and party than make real progress is to find something to become immersed in.
If you’ve lost this level of drive, don’t worry, you need to get intentional again about what you could get excited about.
Much of this momentum will be developed even when you’re not feeling that sense of motivation. That’s ok.
When you find that thing that hooks you, the doors open for the potential to create something remarkable.
5. You do what most people refuse to do.
This ties into all the other points but deserves its own.
Rebels don’t seek to fit in.
They structure their lives, whether intentionally or not, to go against the grain. This can’t mean falling into life patterns practiced by the general population.
As Mark Twain said,
‘Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.’
What many people don’t realize, even if you decide to take actions that most people wouldn’t even consider doing, is you’re often making life much easier for yourself.
Why?
Because most people fall short of their potential.
Massively so, in many cases. By following the crowd, they diminish their impact.
Most people enter their graves with their music still in them and their potential explored to just a fraction of what it could have been.
So use the masses as a gauge for what to avoid in general. Use common sense, and don’t do things that detract from your joy and power.
Always ask yourself, ‘What do most people not do that I can do to get ahead and make my mark?’
When most do less, do more.
When most continually quit, keep going. When most go left, you go right.
When you have an idea that stirs you in the deepest part of your psyche, follow it to completion, even if a voice is telling you it’s ‘inappropriate.’
If it excites you and aligns with you, and it’s possible — at a stretch — to make it work…
…You must.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.