This is a guest blog by Dr. Daniel Crosby
You’re not that great. Yes, you read that right. Wait a minute, you think, “this must be about that extra fifteen pounds I’m carrying around.” Nope. “Well, maybe it’s because I always seem to quit on my New Year’s resolutions in the first two weeks.” Wrong again. “Wait a minute, how does he know about the time I swore at my teacher under my breath?” I wish it were that insignificant a problem.
No, the reason you’re not great is much deeper than all the sins of commission you could recall. Your problem is far more pervasive. Your problem is one that you’re less aware of and is far more insidious than anything you’ve ever consciously done. Your problem is one you likely never even knew you had.
You see, for far too long, we’ve assumed greatness. We’ve all wanted to take the mantle of “special” upon us, but haven’t wanted to do the hard work that accompanies it. Even more damaging, we’ve put ourselves on autopilot because we’re tired. The long hours, the commute, the t-ball games, the ornery bosses, all of it just wears. us. out. But being great has and always will take effort. Intentional effort. Our natural tendency is to choose the path of least resistance, to not rock the boat and to worry more about not screwing up than being exceptional.
Click on the image to watch Daniel Crosby's TEDxHuntsville motivational speech.
But maybe, just maybe, if you’ll consider the seven counter intuitive truths in this video, you’ll start to make changes. Small changes at first, but changes that push you to be more aware and more alive. So, today, you’re not that great, but it’s not because there is no greatness within you. Living a great life is fundamentally about scraping away all of the bad lessons and fallacious visions of happiness you’ve been sold. It’s about realizing that the less you need to be special, the more special you’ll become. It’s about realizing that greatness isn’t achieved at the top of the mountain, but at every rest stop and slip-up along the way. Most of all, it’s about realizing that what makes you unique can’t be bought, earned, or accomplished. It can only be unearthed as you have the personal courage to admit that you’re pretty average, and in so doing, put yourself on the path to becoming so much more.
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Educated at Brigham Young and Emory Universities, Dr. Daniel Crosby is a psychologist and behavioral finance expert who helps organizations understand the intersection of mind and markets. His clients include Brinker Capital, Morgan Stanley, RS Funds, Guardian Life Insurance and NASA. Dr. Crosby’s well-reviewed book, “You’re Not That Great” applies elements of behavioral finance such as loss aversion and availability heuristic to the pursuit of a meaningful life. You can follow Dr. Crosby (@incblot) on Twitter.
